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Diagrams

User Guide
AVEVA Solutions Ltd

Disclaimer
Information of a technical nature, and particulars of the product and its use, is given by AVEVA
Solutions Ltd and its subsidiaries without warranty. AVEVA Solutions Ltd and its subsidiaries disclaim
any and all warranties and conditions, expressed or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Neither the author nor AVEVA Solutions Ltd, or any of its subsidiaries, shall be liable to any person or
entity for any actions, claims, loss or damage arising from the use or possession of any information,
particulars, or errors in this publication, or any incorrect use of the product, whatsoever.

Copyright
Copyright and all other intellectual property rights in this manual and the associated software, and every
part of it (including source code, object code, any data contained in it, the manual and any other
documentation supplied with it) belongs to AVEVA Solutions Ltd or its subsidiaries.

All other rights are reserved to AVEVA Solutions Ltd and its subsidiaries. The information contained in
this document is commercially sensitive, and shall not be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted without the prior written permission of AVEVA Solutions Ltd. Where such
permission is granted, it expressly requires that this Disclaimer and Copyright notice is prominently
displayed at the beginning of every copy that is made.

The manual and associated documentation may not be adapted, reproduced, or copied, in any material
or electronic form, without the prior written permission of AVEVA Solutions Ltd. The user may also not
reverse engineer, decompile, copy, or adapt the associated software. Neither the whole, nor part of the
product described in this publication may be incorporated into any third-party software, product,
machine, or system without the prior written permission of AVEVA Solutions Ltd, save as permitted by
law. Any such unauthorised action is strictly prohibited, and may give rise to civil liabilities and criminal
prosecution.

The AVEVA products described in this guide are to be installed and operated strictly in accordance with
the terms and conditions of the respective license agreements, and in accordance with the relevant
User Documentation. Unauthorised or unlicensed use of the product is strictly prohibited.

First published September 2007

AVEVA Solutions Ltd, and its subsidiaries

AVEVA Solutions Ltd, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HB, United Kingdom

Trademarks
AVEVA and Tribon are registered trademarks of AVEVA Solutions Ltd or its subsidiaries. Unauthorised
use of the AVEVA or Tribon trademarks is strictly forbidden.

AVEVA product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of AVEVA Solutions Ltd or its
subsidiaries, registered in the UK, Europe and other countries (worldwide).

The copyright, trade mark rights, or other intellectual property rights in any other product, its name or
logo belongs to its respective owner.
Diagrams User Guide

Diagrams User Guide

Contents Page

Diagrams
Diagrams Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:1
Document Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:1
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:1
Diagrams Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:1
Database Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:2
Main Operating Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:3

Application Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:1


Runtime Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:1
Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:1
Document Files, Sessions etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:1
Copying Data between Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:3
Database Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:4
Schematic DB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:4
MDB Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:4
Groups .............................................................. 2:4
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:5

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:1


Starting the Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:1
Making Settings for the Program Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:1
Select Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:1
Set Up Default Groups, Default System and Default Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:2

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Select a Current Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:5


Application Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:5
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:5
Diagrams Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:6
Other Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:10
Upgrading Drawings to Latest Diagrams Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:10
Creating Shapes and Adding to Stencils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:11
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:11
Creating MS Visio Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:11
Creating Diagrams Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:19
Import Shape Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:20
Edit Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:29
Edit Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:29
Instant Define . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:29
Optimizing Project Performance and Storage Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:29
Recommendations to Improve Performance of SaveWork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30
Refresh Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30
Project Storage with Respect to Visio and SVG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30

Working with Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:1


Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:1
Main GUI Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:2
Main Window and Dockable Sub-windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:2
Schematic Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:2
System Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:3
Diagram Drafting Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:5
Custom Properties Window / Shape Data Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:7
Item List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:7
Catalogue Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:8
Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:9
Message Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:10
Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:11
Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:13
Find in Drawing Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:14
Standard DB Browse Dialogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:15
Document Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:17
Edit Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:17
Reference List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:18
Status Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:18

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Auto Formatting Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:19


Standard MS Visio Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:29
Application Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:32
Keyboard Shortcuts and Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:33
File Handling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:33
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:33
New ............................................................. 4:34
Open ............................................................. 4:35
Open Read Only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:38
Save Work and Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:44
Save As with Copy of Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:46
Save Work and SVG Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:47
Save As with Copy of Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:51
Get Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:54
Delete ............................................................. 4:54
Additional Notes on File Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:54
Define / Undefine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:55
Refresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:55
Feedback on Refresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:56
Consistency Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:58
Export Consistency Check Result to File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:62
Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:63
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:63
Shape Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:64
Labels ............................................................. 4:66
Title Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:66
Property Break Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:68
Off-page Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:69
Area Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:73
Manual Component Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:75
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:75
Catalogue Explorer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:76
Defining Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:77
Modifying, Renaming and Deleting Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:80
Using Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:80
Selection Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:80
Result List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:81

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Copying/Pasting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:84


Primary / Secondary Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:84
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:84
Creating Secondary Shapes by Changing Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:85
Creating Secondary Shapes by Copy/Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:86
Viewing and Changing Primary/Secondary Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:87
Behaviour of Primary/Secondary Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:87
Deleting Primary/Secondary Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:94
Finding All Shapes Referring to a Certain DB Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:94
Using Background Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:94
Setting an Initial 3D Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:94
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:94
Changing Symbols for Existing Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:95
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:95
Manual Replacing of Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:95
Automatic Replacing of Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:96
Replace Symbol from Catalogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:97
Setting System Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:97
Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:98
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:98
Autonaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:98
Auto Renaming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:98
Rename Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:99
Prompting the User to Enter a Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:100
Highlighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:100
Importing/Exporting Drawings, Stencils and Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:101
Importing and Exporting Data to the DB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:101
Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:101
Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:101
Undo and Redo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:102
Working with Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:102

Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:1


Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:1
Creating Pipelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:1
Pipeline Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:3
Creating Branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:3

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Adding Parts to a Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:4


Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:4
Arrive and Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:4
Dropping and Connecting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:4
Automatic Tee Insertion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:5
Using Tube Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:8
Connecting Fittings without a Tube in between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:8
Flow Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:8
The Flow Direction Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:8
Directional Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:10
Reversing Flow Direction for a Whole Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:11
Using Equipment and Subequipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:12
Using Nozzles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:13
Using Pipe Destination elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:14
Grouped Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:14
Online Dimensioning and Specification Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:15
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:15
No Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:17
Dimensioning without Catalogue or Spec Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:17
Dimensioning with Manual Catalogue Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:17
Dimensioning with Automatic Spec Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:17
Respec ............................................................. 5:20
Resize ............................................................. 5:20
Refit ............................................................. 5:22
Reverse Direction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:23
SpecSearch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:24
Splitting Pipelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:24
Joining Pipelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:25
Consistency Check for Pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:25
Line List Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:25
Automatic Management of Logical Pipe Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:26
Instrumentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:26
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:26
Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:27
Connection in Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:33
Instrument Relationship Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:35
High Level Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:38

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Instrumentation Loop Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:41

HVAC Diagrams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:1


Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:1
Creating HVAC Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:1
HVAC Line Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:2
Creating Branches and Adding Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:2
Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:3
Resize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:5
Refit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:6
Splitting and Joining HVAC Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:6
Consistency Check for HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:6

Cable Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:1


Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:1
Single Line Cabling Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:1
Working with Multi-cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:2
Naming Cables Owned by Multi-cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:2
Presenting Multi-cables in Item List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:4
Connecting Cable Elements to Nested Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:4
Core Connections Definition Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:4
Defining the Number of Cores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:5
Selecting Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:6
Selecting Electrical Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:7
Selecting the Terminal for Each Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:8
Configuring the Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:8
Generating Core Connection Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:9

Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:1
Releasing Information for 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:1
Setting the Release Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:2
Visualizing Release and Link to 3D Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:6
Warnings and Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:7
Released but not Linked Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:7
Released and Linked Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:8

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Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:1
Batch Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:1
Batch Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:2
Batch Consistency Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:8
Batch Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:9
Project Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:10
Clean Old Session Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:10
AVEVA Instrumentation Data Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:11
DWG Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:12
Visio Drawing Items Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:14
User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:16
Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:17
Lines Map Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:18
Layers Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:19
Configuration - DWG Export Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:20
Creating Line Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:20

Schematic Model Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:1


Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:1
Starting the Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:2
Navigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:3
Zooming, Panning etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:3
Navigating Along the Pipeline Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:3
Re-arranging the Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:4
Viewing Inline Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:4
Viewing Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:4
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:5
Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:5

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A:1
Attribute Presentation Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A:1
Pseudo Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A:2
Customisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A:2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A:2
Using the Visio Drawing Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A:3

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Diagrams Overview

1 Diagrams Overview

1.1 Document Contents


The chapter gives an overview of the application and explains some of the main principles.
It is intended for all users who need a general introduction to Diagrams.

1.2 Prerequisites
Before starting to use the Diagrams application, it is recommended that users acquire some
general knowledge about using applications based on the AVEVA Design platform:
Database principles, such as MDBs, sessions, DB elements, attributes, references etc.
Using the command line
Handling of the Application framework GUI, with docking windows etc.
General Microsoft Visio knowledge.
You also need to be familiar with the main principles of using Catalogues and
Specifications. Please refer to the Catalogues and Specifications User Guide for more
information.
These functions are relevant for the usage of the Diagrams application, but are outside the
scope for this manual.

1.3 Diagrams Application


Diagrams supports the creation of Piping, HVAC and Cabling Diagrams. The application is
based on the AVEVA Design Platform GUI and diagram layouts are created using an
embedded Microsoft Office Visio drawing control. All relevant data entered through the
application is stored into the Schematic Database.
The functions available in the application include standard MS Visio functions, standard
PDMS functions and specific Diagrams functions.

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Diagrams Overview

Figure 1:1. The Diagrams Application

1.4 Database Architecture


The object data created through the Diagrams application is stored in the Schematic
Database. This data is possible to re-use for 3D modelling through the use of Schematic 3D
Integrator (please refer to the Schematic 3D Integrator User Guide).

The diagram documents created through the Diagrams application will be stored in the file
system or an external document management system. There are index elements in the

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Diagrams Overview

database for each diagram, stencil and template. Diagrams, stencils and templates are
listed and opened through the DB index elements.

In addition to the MS Visio Diagram files the application also creates SVG format files for the
purpose of viewing the diagrams in the Schematic 3D Integrator.

1.5 Main Operating Principles


When shapes are dragged from a stencil and dropped onto the diagram, a corresponding
element will, if possible, be automatically created in the database. This process is known as
Define. In some cases the Define operation will not take place until shapes are connected.
It is also possible to manually Define and Undefine items.
The application supports the Dabacon session concept with Save Work / Get Work
functions. In the Save Work function, the diagram document is also saved together with all
pending DB changes in the session. To ensure consistency between diagram documents
and the database items, certain procedures have been introduced, for instance when the
user chooses Save As on a diagram, it is required that Save Work has first been executed.
The schematic data is organized in two parallel hierarchies. The main hierarchy is the Group
Hierarchy, which works more or less like a folder structure where schematic items can be
organized according to customer preferences. There is also a secondary System Hierarchy,
which represents the design systems within the project. Diagrams contains functions for the
user to control in which Schematic Group new items will be placed. Items will also be
organized into the system structure according to the system reference attribute.
The database also maintains references between schematic items and the diagram
drawings that they are represented on. This allows the user to, for example, find and open
all diagrams where a certain pipeline is depicted.

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Diagrams Overview

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Application Setup

2 Application Setup

This chapter covers the database setup and runtime environment for the application. It is
primarily intended for administrators who will set up the project environment for using
Diagrams and for advanced users who need a deeper knowledge in how the application
operates on a technical level.

2.1 Runtime Environment

2.1.1 Environment Variables


To define diagram, stencil and template paths a number of environment variables are used.
They are named as follows:
%<PROJECTCODE>DIA%
%<PROJECTCODE>STE%
%<PROJECTCODE>TPL%
For example in the SAM project this would be equal to:
%SAMDIA%
%SAMSTE%
%SAMTPL%
These environment variables should point to the repository for each file type. Typically they
would reside under the project folder along with xxxPIC and xxxISO etc.

2.1.2 Document Files, Sessions etc.


All MS Visio documents such as diagrams, stencils and templates are handled through
index elements in the database.
When a diagram is created, an SCDIAG element is created in the database, and this
contains a pseudo attribute (VISF) that provides the file name of the actual file in the file
system. File names are composed by <element ID><session no>. This mechanism
and naming convention supports the Dabacon session concept and provides a possibility for
GLOBAL to manage the files in a multi-location project. These file names are not visible to
the user. The user will handle all diagrams through the index elements in the database and
will only see the names of the index elements.
This mechanism creates new files each time a Save Work is executed. This means that
when users have been working for a certain amount of time, a large quantity of files may
exist in the %<PROJECTCODE>DIA% directory, in the same way that a Dabacon database
grows as sessions are being added. There is currently no mechanism to automatically

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Application Setup

delete obsolete versions of the files when a database session merge is executed, however
the Diagrams application provides a tool for removing old session files from a project. It
could be used manually when KEEP_SESSION_FILES is set to False. For more information
please refer to Clean Old Session Files in Chapter Utilities.
At the same time as a diagram file is saved, an SVG format file is optionally created. This is
for the purpose of viewing the diagrams in other applications such as the Schematic 3D
Integrator without having the need for an MS Visio installation. In the same way as querying
the VISF attribute on the SCDIAG element for obtaining the MS Visio diagram file name, the
SVG file name can be found by querying the NVIEWF attribute.
On large diagrams, or diagrams that contain detailed imported background drawings, the
creation of the SVG file may take some time to execute. This could affect the performance
of the Save Work command. For that reason a possibility to control the SVG creation has
been introduced.
Whether the SVG file is created or not depends on the General Options > System
configuration > SVG setting in Diagrams Options.
If this setting is False, then the SVG file will only be created if the drawing contains or
has contained any items released to 3D.
If this setting is True, the SVG file will always be created.
When an SVG file is created, there will be a message in the message log indicating this.

Note: By changing the KEEP_SESSION_FILES default setting to False, only the latest
version of the Visio diagram file as well as the SVG file will be kept. Please consider
that using this setting will not make it possible to restore a previous session including
the corresponding diagram file version.

MS Visio templates and stencils are handled in the same way as the diagrams, using
SCTEMP and SCSTEN index elements in the database. One difference however, is that no
SVG format files are created when templates and stencils are saved by the application.

Document file formats


Documents in the Diagrams application can be saved in two formats - binary or XML
depending on the Save documents in Visio XML format setting in Diagrams Options:

The setting provides possibility to choose if drawings, templates and stencils should be
stored in binary (*.vsd, *.vst, *.vss) or XML format (*.vdx, *.vtx, *.vsx).
It is recommended to save documents in a binary format which is more efficient and
improves performance of Save Work and Open operations. For that reason it is used by
default in the Diagrams application.

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Application Setup

It is possible to check in which format the document was last saved by querying SCHFF
(schematic file format) attribute of SCDIAG, SCTEMP or SCSTEN. It can have the following
values:
0 - Visio XML format
1 - binary format
When Save Work is performed all opened documents (also unchanged) with file format not
corresponding to the Save documents in Visio XML format setting will be saved again in an
appropriate format.

Working with Diagrams Options


There are two files used for storing settings for the Diagrams application:
DiagramsDefaultSettings.xml, for Diagrams Defaults, and
DiagramsAttributePresentation.xml, for Attribute Presentation. By default the files
are located in the installation directory and the Diagrams application read them from there.
Because of that the settings are not project-specific and must be adjusted according to the
special user needs separately on each machine.
If project-specific settings should be used, common for all users using the same network
project, the files should be manually copied by the administrator to %XXXdflts%/Diagrams/
where XXXdflts is the environment variable pointing to the defaults folder for project XXX.
After that is done, the Diagrams application uses settings from the above location and files
from the installation directory are ignored.
It is also possible to copy one file only and, i.e. use
DiagramsAttributePresentation.xml from %XXXdflts%/Diagrams/, adjusted for
the project, and DiagramsDefaultSettings.xml from the installation directory (the
same for all projects).

2.2 Copying Data between Databases


It is possible to use RECONFIGURE to copy schematic data between databases and also to
copy databases between projects. Below is an example of the procedure for copying data
from SCHEMATIC/DIAGRAMS database in one project, source, to MASTER/TEST
database located in another project, target:
1. Open Admin in the source project and type the following instructions on the command
line (please note that there is no need to use the SAMEREF option):
FROM DB SCHEMATIC/DIAGRAMS
TO FILES /TMPF
RCFCOPY ALL
RECONFIGURE
2. Save work and close Admin.
3. Open Admin in the target project.
4. Make sure that the target TEST database exists in the target project (if not create it). It
is not necessary that the source and target databases have the same number.
5. Type the following instructions on the command line:
FROM FILES /TMPF
TO DB MASTER/TEST

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RECONFIGURE
6. All data have now been copied together with associated files (for diagrams, templates
and stencils) and no other action is required before they can be used.
For more information please refer to chapter Reconfigure in the Administrator Command
Reference Manual.

2.3 Database Setup

2.3.1 Schematic DB
A new schematic (SCHE) database must be created in a project where Diagrams will be
used. For more information on how to create databases please refer to your Data
Management and Data Base / Administrator User Guide.

2.3.2 MDB Setup


The MDB to be used for Diagrams must contain:
At least one SCHE DB. The administrator can add several schematic DBs to the MDB
if desired. The SCHE DB(s) must be writeable.
At least one DESI DB for the System Hierarchy. The DESI DB(s) can be read-only if so
desired.
It is recommended to keep the System Hierarchy in a separate DESI DB to make
administration easier. In case the Diagrams user should be able to access data in 3D design
elements, additional DESI DBs can be added to the MDB.
If the Diagrams user should be able to modify the System Hierarchy, the following must be
completed:
1. The module definition of Diagrams must allow Read/Write access to DESI DBs.
2. The Diagrams user must be a member of the team that owns the DESI DB where the
system hierarchy resides.
Note: It is possible to set it up in a way that the Diagrams user will have Read/Write access
to the DESI DB where the system hierarchy resides but not to other DESI DBs. In
this case the Diagrams user should not be a member of the team(s) that owns the
other DESI DBs.

2.3.3 Groups
When a schematic database has been set up, any number of Schematic Group elements
(SCGROU) can be created to form the primary hierarchy in the database. This can be
considered similar to a folder structure in the file system. Schematic groups can be used to
hold schematic elements, such as diagrams, stencils, templates, equipment, pipelines,
cables and HVACLines. Schematic groups can also be nested in an arbitrary number of
levels (having groups within groups). To create Schematic Groups, right click in the
Schematic Explorer, or use the command line. It is also possible to import a standard Group
structure into the database from a spreadsheet using the Spreadsheet Import function
(please refer to Import in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

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2.3.4 Systems
The System Hierarchy can be created and maintained through the Tools > Utilities >
System Hierarchy command. For each system, there is also a subordinate SYSCDA
element containing default values per system for the Diagrams application. For instance,
when creating a new pipeline, the Pipe spec, Insulation Spec, Fluid Ref etc. can
automatically be picked up from the defaults set up in the SYSCDA element. Please refer to
the Design Common Functionality User Guide for setting up this data.
The System Hierarchy command is also available in the 3D Design applications.

Note: To be able to create and modify the System Hierarchy, it is required that the MDB
contains a writeable Design DB where the System Hierarchy resides.

Note: The SYSCDA elements are not visible in the System Explorer.

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3 Getting Started

This chapter describes how to get started with the Diagrams application, making settings
and creating base data etc. This chapter is primarily aimed at users who will be setting up
the working environment for users. These could be super-users or CAD co-ordinators.

Note: Chapters Starting the Application and Making Settings for the Program Session
apply to all users.

3.1 Starting the Application


Diagrams is started by selecting the Diagrams module in the AVEVA Login dialogue.

Note: The Diagrams application requires an MDB that contains one or more schematic
databases. Please refer to section Database Setup in Chapter Application Setup for
more details.

3.2 Making Settings for the Program Session


When the application window has appeared, there are a few session settings that need to
be done before you can start using the application.

3.2.1 Select Mode


Select the Mode you want to work in (Pipe, HVAC, Cable), this setting is available in the
Tools > Mode menu.

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3.2.2 Set Up Default Groups, Default System and Default Attributes


Set up session defaults by clicking on the Session Default panel in the status bar at the
bottom of the screen. This will bring up the Session Defaults dialogue.

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Select Defaults Group

Figure 3:1. Defaults groups

By clicking on the line for each type, a browse button will appear and a suitable group
can be selected by clicking this button.
If the same group is wanted for all elements, use the Apply to All button to set the group for
all elements in one go. The initial group for this option is calculated from CE (Current
Element) when the dialogue is entered. If there is a need to change this, use the button
to browse the database for a new group.

In case new groups need to be created, this will have to be done before going into this
dialogue. New groups can be created by right clicking on the schematic world or on existing
groups in the Schematic Explorer and selecting the Create Group command. This must
then be done before the Default Groups can be selected.

Select a Default System


Select a Default System, by right clicking on the Default System tab.

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Figure 3:2. Defaults system

Select Defaults Attributes


This tab allows the user to pick attributes (also User Defined Attributes) and set a default
value for them. Whenever an element that contains this attribute will be created a value will
be set using this table.

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Figure 3:3. Defaults attributes

3.2.3 Select a Current Line


For Pipe / HVAC mode, also select a Current Line before proceeding to create branches
and add fittings etc.

Note: This is however not done by clicking in the status bar, but is instead done by
selecting a line in the schematic explorer.

3.3 Application Settings

3.3.1 Overview
In the Tools menu the following commands are available:
Visio Options. This is the standard MS Visio Options dialogue (available at Tools >
Options in MS Visio). Please refer to the MS Visio documentation for more information.
Note: In Vision options, there is an option to disable Automation events (Advanced tab-
>Enable Automation events). AVEVA Diagrams is depending on these events.
Without them, the application is blind and if they are disabled, AVEVA Diagrams will
stop working.

To prevent this, a message will appear if this checkbox is unchecked:

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Diagrams will then enable the Automation Events again.


Diagrams Options. The Diagrams Options dialogue is used for making relevant
settings for the Diagrams application. This is further described below.
Other Options. Through this command, a number of standard PDMS settings such as
Autonaming can be reached. This is further described below.

3.3.2 Diagrams Options

Defaults

In the Diagrams Options dialogue, there are a several settings that will control the operation
of the application. Below the settings pane is a grey box providing an explanation for each
setting. The settings are further described in the documentation for the respective functions.
If changes have been made when the dialogue is closed by clicking the OK button, the
dialogue window below will appear. In case the user clicks Yes the default settings will be

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saved for the next program session. If the user clicks No, the settings will only apply to the
current program session.
By default Diagrams Defaults are machine specific and should be configured separately on
each machine, but it is also possible to make them specific for the project. For more
information about handling settings files please see Working with Diagrams Options in
Document Files, Sessions etc. in Chapter Application Setup.

Attribute Presentation

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On the Attribute Presentation tab the user can set up the attribute presentation to be used
in the Custom Properties Window / Shape Data Window as well as in the Item List. To the
left there is a tree-view containing the different element types relevant to the Diagrams
application. In case UDETs have been defined, these will be included in the list.
For each element type selected in the tree-view, the attribute presentation can be
individually controlled by the settings in the right hand list view. The columns in the table are
as follows:

Attribute Name of the attribute. (This can not be modified).


Label Presentation label for the attribute. This controls the name to be
presented to the user in the Custom Properties window only. This
setting does not apply to the Item List as it shows mixed items in the
same list.
Prompt If a Prompt string is entered, the application will prompt the user for
a value as the shape is dropped on the drawing. The Prompt string
will be presented to the user at that time, for example Please enter
Name.
Visible If this checkbox is checked, then the attribute will be included in the
list of attributes shown in the Custom Properties window.
Visible in Item List If this checkbox is checked, then the attribute will be included in the
list of attributes shown in the Item List.
Read Only If this checkbox is checked, it will not be possible to update the
attribute value from the Custom Properties window or from the
Item List.
Copy with Shape If this checkbox is checked, the attribute value will be copied when
shapes are copied in or between drawings. Please note that the
shape must be defined for the Copy with Shape setting to apply
(refer to Define / Undefine in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

By clicking the Move Up and Move Down buttons, the presentation order of the currently
selected attribute can be changed.
In the Import Shape Wizard there is a possibility to override the default attribute presentation
settings for individual shapes. In case this override should be enabled, the Allow individual
shape settings to override default settings should be checked. This setting can be
applied individually for each element type by first selecting a type in the tree before clicking
the checkbox. If this is not checked, any attribute presentation settings done in the Import
Shape Wizard for individual shapes will be ignored.
By clicking the Referenced attributes button, it is possible to add attributes from
referenced or hierarchically superior elements.
If changes have been made when the dialogue is closed by clicking the OK button, the
below dialogue will be shown. In case the user clicks Yes the attribute presentation settings
will be saved for the next program session. If the user clicks No, the settings will only apply
to the current program session.
By default Attribute Presentation settings are machine specific and should be configured
separately on each machine, but it is also possible to make them specific for the project. For
more information about handling settings files please see Working with Diagrams Options
chapter Document Files, Sessions etc. in Chapter Application Setup.

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Referenced attributes can be added in two ways:


1. Navigate and select. Navigate and select the attribute in the tree view on the right
hand pane, and click the Add button to add them to the Selected Attributes list on the
right hand side.
2. Key-in. Click on the next free line in the Selected Attributes list, and key in the name of
the referenced attribute using a dot notation as described in Attribute Presentation
Notation in Chapter Appendices.
Attributes selected by Navigate and Select can also be manually edited by selecting them
in the Selected Attributes list. For example by selecting SPRE.CATR.PARA and then
manually adding (0) at the end to get the first parameter.

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Note: Pseudo attributes are not shown in the list of attributes in Attribute Presentation
and Referenced Attributes dialogues. In case pseudo attributes should be
presented, these will have to be added manually by using the Key-in method
described above. A few pseudo attributes that can be useful for the Diagrams user
are described in Pseudo Attributes in Chapter Appendices.

3.3.3 Other Options


Under the Tools > Other Options menu item the following commands can be found:
Naming
Explorer
Line List Configuration
The Naming command is further described in chapter Creating/Modifying Auto Number
Rules in the Area Based ADP Administrator Guide.
The Explorer command is further described in chapter Explorer Settings Form in the
Catalogues and Specifications User Guide.
The Line List Configuration command is further described in chapter Line List
Configuration in the Schematic Model Manager User Guide.

3.4 Upgrading Drawings to Latest Diagrams Version


Every time a new version of the Diagrams application is released, drawings created in
previous versions should be upgraded in order to make sure all their shapes support newly
added functionalities. The upgrade is done automatically when a drawing is opened,
however, it is possible to turn the automatic upgrade off by setting Upgrade drawing on
Open to False in Diagrams Options.

After a drawing is opened it is possible to force updating all shapes by calling Tools
>Upgrade>Upgrade Drawing. The function will traverse the shapes on the current drawing
and upgrade the ones created in previous versions of the Diagrams application. The shapes
that have a format that is not recognized will be ignored. Please note that the command
Upgrade Drawing will update the shapes' formats only and will not create or delete any
links between shapes and database elements.

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3.5 Creating Shapes and Adding to Stencils

3.5.1 Overview
A major part of the Diagrams functionality is based on a set of specialized Diagrams
shapes. Many of these shapes contain information about what kind of database element the
shape should be related to, while others do not have any database equivalence at all (such
as annotation labels etc.). This mechanism enables the application to automatically create
related database elements, as well as provide automatic annotation and general
intelligence.
Shapes that should be recognized by Diagrams and handled by the application logic must
be created through the Import Shape Wizard accessible through the Tools menu. Examples
of these are as follows:
Shapes corresponding to DB elements, for instance branches, valves, instruments and
fittings.
Off-page connector shapes.
Label shapes presenting attribute information.
Shapes processed by the Import Shape Wizard will be stored in a user-selected stencil and
will contain data specific to the Diagrams application.
Other Visio shapes that have not been processed through the Import Shape Wizard can still
be used for annotation etc. on drawings, but they will not be handled intelligently by the
application.
Diagrams shapes can also contain default attribute values, which can enable users to
create specialized shapes and will reduce the amount of information that is necessary to
enter when diagrams are created.
By investing some time and effort in the creation of stencils and shapes, the application can
be tailored to work as efficiently as possible for the needs of the user. Thereby time and
effort can later be saved when these shapes are used to build up diagrams.

3.5.2 Creating MS Visio Shapes


Before shapes can be imported to a stencil using the Import Shape Wizard, they will have to
be created using MS Visio tools. It is highly recommended that the user creating shapes has
a good knowledge of MS Visio and is familiar with how Visio shapes works before
proceeding to create Diagrams shapes. MS Visio offers many possibilities for creation of
smart shapes with different kinds of behaviour. We recommend that this is used sparingly
and with consideration, as complex shape behaviour can result in reduced performance and
also interact with the Diagrams application code in a way that can give unexpected errors. A
few examples of useable behaviour are described below.

Note: To be able to create shapes with special features, the MS Visio Shape Sheet has to
be used. For technical reasons, this is not available in the Diagrams application. In
case you need to access the Shape Sheet for making special settings in the shapes
before import, you will have to copy the shape to the Standard MS Office Visio
application, access the Shape Sheet, and then copy the shape back to Diagrams.

When drawing the shape, it is recommended to use the same grid setting that will apply
when the shape will be used in the drawing, thereby avoiding alignment and snapping
problems. To minimize the risk for mistakes when different zoom settings are used, the grid
can be set to Fixed. A suitable grid size is suggested to be 1 mm. The Ruler & Grid

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dialogue is available from the Tools > Ruler and Grid command in the main application
menu.

It is also preferable to use a X any Y size of the shape that is evenly dividable with 2, so that
connection points can be conveniently placed at grid intersections.

Figure 3:4. Example of Valve shape using a 4x8 size

Connection points can be added to shapes by using the Connection Point Tool available
on the dropdown for connector tool in the Standard toolbar.

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To add connection points, Ctrl+Click using this tool. For inline pipe/HVAC parts, the order in
which connection points are added is relevant, as the first added connection point will
correspond to ppoint 1 on the catalogue item. When an inline fitting is connected, Arrive and
Leave are resolved depending on the connections. I.e. if conn 1 is connected to Leave of
another fitting during define, conn 1 will be Arrive and vice versa. If it is not connected when
defined, Arrive and Leave will default to 1 and 2. The direction of the connection points can
be changed by right clicking on a connection point and selecting Inward, Outward or
Inward & Outward.

Note: These directions are NOT related to flow directions of the component. This only
relates to Visio mechanisms for connecting shapes to each other. Connection points
for 2D shapes (such as Equipment, Valves, Fittings etc.) should normally be Inward.
Only use Outward connection points if you intend the shape to be directly connected
to other 2D shapes. The normal approach is to always use Inward when shapes are
created, and to change them to Outward after dropping on a drawing only in case the
shape should be connected to another 2D shape. (refer to Connecting Fittings
without a Tube in between in Chapter Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs)).

Note: When creating grouped piping/HVAC shapes having connection points, please make
sure to first group the shapes and then add the connection points to the group. In
case connection points are added to the members of the group, this could result in
difficulties to connect pipes/HVACs when the shapes are used. For electrical items, it
is OK to have connection points on group members as this is specially handled by
the application when cables are connected.

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Note: When grouping shapes, use the Group command rather than Convert to group, as
the former works better with the Diagrams application.

Example 1: Creating an attachment line

For shapes that can be attached to other shapes using a control handle, such as labels and
off-line instruments, it can be preferred to have an attach line showing where the item is
connected. This can be achieved by going though the following steps:
1. Create the shape in MS Visio by using the drawing tools.
2. Group the shape (required for the attachment line to appear behind).
3. Access the Shape Sheet (available on the right click menu).
4. If there is not any Controls section, create a new (Right click > Insert section).

5. Create a new Geometry section having a MoveTo at the desired origin point of the line
(centre of the shape is =Width*0.5 and =Height*0.5).
6. In the LineTo, refer to =Controls.Row_1 and Controls.Row_1.Y.

7. In order to get the attachment line behind the shape rather than in front of it, right click
on the shape and select Format > Behaviour. Then change Group Data to Behind
member shapes.

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8. If the attachment line should originate from the corner points rather than from the
centre point, the following formulas could be entered on the MoveTo line of the
Geometry section: =IF(Controls.Row_1>Width*0.5,Width,0) and
=IF(Geometry1.Y2>Height*0.5,Height,0).

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9. The attachment line will now snap to the nearest corner point as the control point is
being moved.

10. In case there should be a possibility to turn on and off the attachment line, this can be
achieved by inserting an Actions section with the
=SETF(GetRef(Actions.Row_1.Checked),NOT(GetVal(Actions.Row_1.Ch
ecked))) action and referring the Checked property using the
=NOT(Actions.Row_1.Checked)formula from the NoShow property of the
Geometry section:

11. The attachment line can now be turned on and off by using the shape right click menu.

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Note: It is also possible to add features to the Visio shapes after they have been imported
using the Import Shape Wizard. When this wizard is executed, it will add properties in
sections such as Custom Properties, User-defined cells, Controls etc. To avoid
malfunctions in the Diagrams application, these rows must not be modified.
However, adding new rows to these sections is allowed.

The table below provides some specific information for each kind of shape to be imported:

Category Type Conn. Notes


Points
Equipment items Equipment Any number
Sub-equipment Any number
Nozzle 2 The point to be used for
connecting the nozzle to an
equipment item should be of
Outward type. The point
where a pipe branch should
be connected should be
Inward.
Electrical 2 The point to be used for
connection connecting the elconn to an
equipment item should be of
Outward type. The point
where a cable should be
connected should be Inward.
Pipeline elements Pipeline, Branch, N/A These must be connector
Tube type shapes. Linestyles can
be assigned before importing.
In case any indication of flow
direction is to be used, Begin
is considered to be Arrive,
and End is considered to be
Leave.
Pipe components Valve For 2-way:2 Assign connection points so
that the desired Arrive (=
For 3-way:3
connection point 1) and Leave
For 4-way:4 (= connection point 2) for the
main flow will be achieved.
Instrument 2
Pipe Destination 1

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Pipe components - Cap 1


Fitting
Closure
Blind flange 2 For a reducer, the first
connection point (arrive) is
Coupling
normally on the large side.
Filter
Flange
Reducer
Trap
Vent
Weld
Other
Cross 4 Assign connection points so
that the desired Arrive - Leave
(main flow) will be achieved.
Olet 3 Assign connection points so
that the desired Arrive - Leave
Tee
(main flow) will be achieved.
Instrumentation Instrumentation N/A These must be connector
line, type shapes. Linestyles can
Instrumentation be assigned before importing.
branch, In case any indication of flow
Instrumentation direction is to be used, Begin
tube is considered to be Arrive,
and End is considered to be
Leave.
Instrument N/A This must be a connector
relationship shape. Linestyle can be
shape assigned before importing.
When connecting to
instruments, Begin is
considered to 'from-
reference', and End is
considered to be 'to-
reference'.
Actuator 2 The point to be used for
connecting the actuator to
component items should be of
Outward type. The point
where an instrumentation line
(tube) or instrument
relationship shape should be
connected should be Inward.
Offline Instrument Any number During Import Shape, an
attachment control handle will
automatically be added to the
shape if it does not already
exist in the shape sheet.

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HVACline elements HVACline, HVAC N/A These must be connector


branch, Duct type shapes. Linestyles can
be assigned before importing.
In case any indication of flow
direction is to be used, Begin
is considered to be Arrive,
and End is considered to be
Leave.
Inline HVAC Air handling unit 1
Components - HVAC
Cowl
Fitting
Grille
Mesh
Plate
Taper
Branch connector 2
Damper
Fan
Flexible joint
Offset
Plenum
Silencer
Straight
Transformation
piece
Three way 3
Cable elements Cable N/A Must be a Connector type
shape.
Multi-cable
Annotation Label None
Multilabel None
Title block None
Off-page connectors Off-page 1
connector,
incoming
Off-page 1
connector,
outgoing
Line splitter Line splitter

3.5.3 Creating Diagrams Shapes


Diagrams shapes can be created using the following steps:
1. Create a shape in a diagram drawing using standard Visio drawing tools and
according to the instructions in Creating MS Visio Shapes shapes.

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2. If the shape has been drawn as separate entities, e.g. two separate lines, or a line and
a text etc., it must be grouped before proceeding. Normally shapes should be grouped
BEFORE connection points are added, refer to further information in Creating MS Visio
Shapes
3. If relevant, attach connection points by using the Connection Point tool and
Ctrl+Click to add the points to the shape.
4. Make sure that the stencil that you want to add the shapes to is open.
5. Select the shape(s), (several shapes can be imported in one go, but they must be of
the same type).
6. Select Tools > Import Shape. This will start the Import Shape Wizard that will guide
you through the steps to transform the shapes into Diagrams shapes.
An alternative way of doing this is to create the Diagrams shape directly on the drawing. To
achieve that the below steps should be followed:
1. Create a shape in a diagram drawing using standard Visio drawing tools and according
to the instructions in Creating MS Visio Shapes shapes.
2. If the shape has been drawn as separate entities, e.g. two separate lines, or a line and
a text etc., it must be grouped before proceeding. Normally shapes should be grouped
BEFORE connection points are added, refer to further information in Creating MS Visio
Shapes.
3. f relevant, attach the connection points by using the Connection Point tool and
Ctrl+Click to add the points to the shape.
4. Select the Object > Define command from the menu or click the appropriate button on
the Object toolbar. The Define Item Wizard window will open and by the following
steps similar to the Import Shape Wizard, it will be possible to configure the shape and
transform it to a Diagrams shape. In addition after the dialogue is closed, the shape will
be defined in the way it would be after dropping it from a stencil.

3.5.4 Import Shape Wizard

Overview
Prior to starting the Import Shape Wizard, one or more shapes must have been selected on
the current drawing. In case more than one shape has been selected, they will all receive a
common type, common presentation settings etc. when the wizard has completed. Only the
name will be different. If shapes of different types should be imported, the wizard must be
executed once for each type of shape.

When the Import Shape Wizard starts, it will perform an optional scale check of the shape.
In the Diagrams Options > System Configuration > Import Shape a min/max height/width
can be set up. Import Shape will check against these values and give a warning to the user
in case the shape exceeds or falls below the set limits.

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The four steps of the import shape wizard allows the user to set up the following information
for the imported shapes:

Step 1: Selecting Type and Assigning a Name

1. First select the category in the explorer pane to the left.


2. Then select the type in the right hand pane.
In case UDETs have been defined, these will be available for selection together with the
corresponding base types.
3. Last enter the name for the shape. In case more than one shape is imported at the
same time, the name will be suffixed _1, _2 etc.

Note: For piping and HVAC branches, a Denote to dropdown box will appear. This can be
used to select the tube/duct type that a branch should be denoted to when dropped
on to the drawing.

When a branch shape is dropped on to a drawing, a new branch element will be created in
the pipeline hierarchy. At the same time, the actual shape will be denoted to become a tube/

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duct shape, and a corresponding tube/duct element will be created in the DB as well. In
case a shape having a UDET type derived from a branch is dropped on the drawing, the
application must know which UDET type it should be denoted to.
When the Next button is clicked, the wizard will continue to the next step. At this time, there
is also a check that the shape has the correct number and direction of connection points.

Figure 3:5. Example of error message dialogue box shown when the number of connections on the
shape is not correct

Step 2: Selecting the Stencil

In this step you should select the stencil to which the shape should be added. The dialogue
will show the currently open stencils, so the stencil must have been opened before starting
the Import Shape Wizard.

Note: When import shape is performed, the stencil is automatically saved, but to make this
save permanent, the user will have to perform a Save Work.

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Step 3: Annotation Style Settings

In this step the default annotation can be set up. The default annotation is represented by
the shape text as well as a number of default labels that can be automatically placed on the
drawing when the shape is dropped. The number of default annotations varies depending
on the type of item and can be controlled by changing the settings under General Options
> Annotation Settings in Diagrams Options.

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The annotation options are as follows:

Shape text options Use defaults If this is set to True, the Shape Text settings will
be fetched from the default set up in Diagrams
Options > Element Options for the relevant
type. If it is set to False, it will be possible to
override the default settings with a specific
setting for the shape to be imported in this
dialogue. Other Shape text options can only be
changed if Use defaults is set to False.
Shape text The shape text can be specified using attribute
references and dot notation (refer to Attribute
Presentation Notation in Chapter Appendices).
Text frame style The setting is available for 2D shapes except
annotating shapes (e.g. Labels). It allows
adding a frame around the shape's text.
Possible values are: None-no text frame,
Rectangle-rectangular frame will be added to
the shape text, RoundedRectangle-rectangular
frame with rounded corners will be wrapped
around text.
Rotate text with The setting is available for 2D shapes except
shape annotating shapes (e.g. Labels). Its value
determines the shape text orientation. When
set to False, the text will always be oriented
horizontally regardless of the shape's rotation.
When it is set to True - the text orientation will
be corresponding to the shape's rotation.
Shape text The colour of the shape text can be freely
colour selected from a Windows standard colour
palette.
Shape text font The shape text font can be freely selected from
a Windows standard font dialogue.
XRef XRef can be set to CENTRE, RIGHT or LEFT.
It represents the reference point in the shape to
which the X offset of shape text is related. The
setting is available for 2D shapes only.
YRef YRef can be set to CENTRE, TOP or
BOTTOM. It represents the reference point in
the shape to which the Y offset of shape text is
related. The setting is available for 2D shapes
only.
Offset X Horizontal offset for shape text placement in
relation to XRef. The setting is available for 2D
shapes only.
Offset Y Vertical offset for shape text placement in
relation to YRef. The setting is available for 2D
shapes only.

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Offset The setting is available for 1D shapes


longitudinal (connectors) only. It can be set to CENTRE,
reference RIGHT or LEFT and represents the reference
point in the text block. Longitudinal offset of the
text will be measured from that point to the
centre of the longest part of the line.
Offset The setting is available for 1D shapes
longitudinal (connectors) only. It determines the longitudinal
offset of shape text in relation to the centre of
the longest part of the line.
Offset The setting is available for 1D shapes
perpendicular (connectors) only. It can be set to CENTRE,
reference TOP and BOTTOM and represents the
reference point in the text block. Perpendicular
offset of text will be measured from that point to
the longest part of the line.
Offset The setting is available for 1D shapes
perpendicular (connectors) only. It determines the distance
between the label and the longest part of the
line.

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Annotation 1 - 10 Use Can be set to the following values:


USE - Means that the annotation will be used
for this shape and that the annotation settings
can be specified separately.
DON'T_USE - Means that the annotation will
not be used for this shape.
USE_DEFAULT - Means that the default
settings as specified in Diagrams Options >
Element Options will be used.
Other annotation options can only be changed
if Use is set to USE.
Attribute The attribute to be shown in the annotation
label can be specified using attribute
references and dot notation (refer to Attribute
Presentation Notation).
XRef XRef can be set to CENTRE, RIGHT or LEFT
and represents the reference point to in the
shape to which the X offset is related. The
setting is available for 2D shapes only.
Offset X X offset for label placement in relation to XRef.
The setting is available for 2D shapes only.
Yref YRef can be set to CENTRE, TOP or BOTTOM
and represents the reference point to in the
shape to which the X offset is related. The
setting is available for 2D shapes only.
Offset Y Y offset for label placement in relation to YRef.
The setting is available for 2-D shapes only.
Offset The setting is available for 1D shapes
longitudinal (connectors) only. It determines longitudinal
offset of a label in relation to the centre of the
longest part of the line.
Offset The setting is available for 1D shapes
perpendicular (connectors) only. It determines the distance
between a label and the longest part of the line.
Colour Annotation colour can be freely selected from a
Windows standard colour palette.
Font Font can be freely selected from a Windows
standard font selection dialogue.
Stencil Name of the stencil where the label shape
should be fetched from.
Label shape Name of the label shape to be used for the
annotation.
Note: The number of annotations can be changed using the General Options >
Annotation Settings > Number of Autolabels setting in Diagrams Options.

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Step 4: Attribute Presentation

In this step the attribute presentation can be set up. If the Use default attribute
presentation settings checkbox is checked, all presentation settings will be taken from the
default that has been set up using the Attribute Presentation tab of the Diagrams Options
dialogue (refer to Diagrams Options).
In addition to the default presentation settings, it is in this step also possible to set up a
default value (the Value column) for each attribute. This can still be provided even if the
presentation settings are taken from the default.
For a description of the columns, please refer to the Attribute presentation tab of the
Diagrams Options dialogue.

Note: In the Diagrams Options dialogue, there is also an Allow individual shape
settings to override default settings checkbox related to the behaviour of this step.
If that checkbox is checked, the presentation settings specified in this step of the
Import Shape Wizard will be ignored. In case the user wants to override the default
settings for certain shapes, this checkbox will have to be unchecked when the
shapes are dropped on to the diagram drawing.

Note: The value of the Text attribute is controlled by Annotation Settings in step 3, and is
therefore disabled in step 4.

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Step 5: Default Catalogue Search Filter

In this step, it is possible to specify a default catalogue search filter for the shape. If this is
done, the filter will be applied in subsequent catalogue search operations using the Manual
Catalogue Selection (refer to Manual Component Selection in Chapter Working with
Diagrams). This can for instance be used in a way that for a cable shape, a filter is referred
that includes searching in the correct category for cables. When the user will subsequently
select such a cable shape in the drawing and go to the catalogue search window, it will
automatically apply the pre-defined filter so only relevant cable catalogue items will be
shown.
Default filters for each type of item can be specified in Diagrams Options by using the
Catalogue search settings > Default filters for non-pipeline elements settings. If these
should be used, the Use filter from Diagrams default settings should be checked.
Otherwise a specific filter for the particular shape can be specified in the Default catalogue
search filter textbox.

Note: If specification search for pipeline parts is not active, the following settings are also
available, Catalogue search settings > Default filters for pipeline elements.

When step 5 has been completed and the Finish command has been given, the shape(s)
will be added to the selected stencil. The user will also be prompted if he/she wants to make
a Save Work or not. The reason for this is that if the application subsequently will be closed
without any Save Work command being issued, the imported shapes will be lost. So if the
user clicks NO, then he/she will have to remember to perform a SaveWork at a later time.

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3.5.5 Edit Master


By using the Tools > Edit Master command, it is possible to edit the settings for Diagrams
shapes in a stencil without having to do a new import. The user interface is the same as for
Import Shape (refer to Import Shape Wizard). However, as the dialogue opens it goes
directly to step 3, as steps 1 and 2 are irrelevant for an already existing shape in a stencil.
In step 3, the annotation settings can be changed, in step 4 the attribute presentation can be
changed and in step 5 the default catalogue search filter can be changed.

3.5.6 Edit Shape


Sometimes after dropping several shapes from stencils, there is a need to change their text
or annotation properties. This can be achieved by using the Tools > Edit Shape command.
The command can be used for one or more shapes selected on the drawing. If more than
one shape is selected, all shapes should represent the same element type (e.g. all should
be cable shapes or equipment shapes).
The Edit Shape command brings up the same dialogue as Import Shape and Edit Master
(refer to Import Shape Wizard). Like for the function Edit Master, the dialogue opens at step
3, but it is not possible to go back to step 1, Type and Name of Shape, because it is not
allowed to change the type of an already dropped shape, nor to step 2, Destination
Stencil, as this step is not relevant in this case. When using the Edit Shape functionality it
is possible to change the following:
annotation style settings (step 3)
attribute presentation settings (step 4)
default catalogue search filter (step 5)
Note: Edit Shape can be used for Diagrams shapes only (shapes created using Import
Shape Wizard or the Instant Define feature).

3.5.7 Instant Define


There are situations when some of the shapes are used very rarely and there is no need to
have them defined on the stencil. In these cases, it is possible to draw/copy a shape on the
drawing and define it skipping the Import Shape. To achieve that:
Select a shape on the drawing that was not created by the Import Shape Wizard.
Go to the menu or the Object toolbar and choose Object>Define.
The Define Item Wizard window will open. The dialogue is the same as the Import Shape
Wizard, only step 2, Destination Stencil, is not available and in step 1 the Name field is
disabled as it is not relevant. After the steps in the Define Item Wizard are done, the shape
will be defined on the drawing in the same way as Diagrams shapes dropped from stencils.

3.6 Optimizing Project Performance and Storage Space

Important: Please read this chapter before setting up your project.

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3.6.1 Recommendations to Improve Performance of SaveWork


1. Avoid having many pages in the same diagram. It is better to create separate diagram
files. At the moment, all the pages in the diagram are being processed and saved as
SVG files during SaveWork, this is the case even if the user has just modified one of
the pages.
2. Avoid using heavy bitmaps or too detailed vector graphics in title block and
backgrounds. You can experiment by removing some of these and measure the
SaveWork performance to determine if you have an issue with this.
3. There is a setting to control whether SVG files should always be created, or only when
the drawing contains anything released to 3D. If this setting is used, it is possible to get
better performance when initially working with the drawing. After it has been released
to 3D, there will then be a performance degradation as the SVG files starts getting
created. Please note that once SVG files starts generating, you cannot turn it off again,
so this setting has to be applied from the start of a new diagram drawing.
4. During savework, there is intense file storage activity with Visio and SVG files. For this
reason it is recommended that the IT infrastructure such as network and file server disk
performance where the files reside (xxxDIA) is optimized.

3.6.2 Refresh Performance


The performance of the Refresh command is dependent on how many shapes are being
refreshed and how many attributes belong to each of these shapes in the Custom
Properties.
It is easy to get large numbers here. E.g. if there are a 100 shapes in a drawing that each
has 50 attributes belonging to it, this will produce 5000 attribute values to be read from
Dabacon and updated in the shapes' Custom Properties.

Recommendations:
1. Only use the Refresh command when necessary, e.g when you suspect something
has been updated in the DB and you need to see it reflected in your drawing.
2. If only some shapes are selected in a drawing when doing the refresh, only those
shapes will be affected. It is often unnecessary to refresh the whole drawing if only one
part is being worked on.
3. Reduce the number of attributes per shape to be shown in Custom Properties down
to a set of attributes that are really being used by the Diagrams user. E.g. there exists a
lot of .Pmg... UDAs in the sample project. In many cases these attributes are not
being used and take up unnecessary time during the Refresh. When these kinds of
attributes are not being used the UDAs can simply be removed from the project. It is
also possible to control which attributes should appear in the Custom Properties
through the Attribute Presentation function. If for instance half of the attributes shown
in the Custom Properties are never used, then removing them will halve the time used
for refreshing the whole drawing.

3.6.3 Project Storage with Respect to Visio and SVG Files

Recommendations
1. As mentioned above, it is possible to disable the SVG creation until it is really needed
(when the diagram has been released to 3D).
2. There is a setting to control whether to use binary Visio files or XML format Visio files.
XML format requires much more storage space, so make sure to use the binary format.

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3. There is a Keep session files setting that will determine whether the old versions of the
Visio and SVG files will be kept during each SaveWork or not. With this setting you can
balance between more data management capability & more storage space required or
less data management capability & less storage space required as is described below:
With this setting set to True there is a possibility to backtrack the Dabacon session
and access the specific Visio/SVG file versions related to that particular session.
The drawback here is, of course, that it may take a significant amount of storage
space to save the related files for all sessions.
With this setting set to False only latest versions of the Visio/SVG files will be kept.
This means that backtracking a Dabacon session will not give access to the
corresponding Visio/SVG files. However, storage space requirements will be less
demanding.
When Keep session files is set to True, and sessions are to be merged, then select
Tools>Utilities>Project Maintenance>Clean Old Session Files to get rid of the
corresponding Visio/SVG files. This can be an approach where there is a possibility
to backtrack changes during a period. Merge and clean the sessions and continue
from there.

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4 Working with Diagrams

This chapter describes all the standard functions and procedures for using the application,
and is therefore of interest to all users of Diagrams.

4.1 Introduction
Symbols are added to drawings by dragging and dropping shapes from the stencil to the
drawing area. As soon as a shape that corresponds to a DB element is dropped, it will if
possible be defined (refer to section Define / Undefine), which means that a corresponding
database element will be created in the current database session. Some shapes will need a
context to be defined. For example, if a valve shape is dropped by itself, it will not be defined
until it is connected to a defined member of a pipeline branch, for instance a SCTUB shape.
When a shape is defined, the corresponding database element can also be seen appearing
in the DB explorer. When using the Consistency Check function (refer to section
Consistency Check), a warning will be issued for undefined shapes.
Default attributes defined in the shape in the stencil will automatically be assigned to the
element. There is also a function to prompt the user for attribute values when a shape is
dropped is also supported.
The attributes of a shape are available through the Custom Properties / Shape Data
window. As soon as an attribute is changed by the user, it will be updated into the database
session. The data will then be written to the database and be available to other users after
issuing a Save Work command.
Shapes can be connected to other shapes directly when dropped, or they can be connected
afterwards.

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Figure 4:1. Attributes for a shape can be viewed and updated through the Custom Properties /
Shape Data window. Updated attributes are automatically stored in the corresponding
DB element.

4.2 Main GUI Components

4.2.1 Main Window and Dockable Sub-windows


The main window contains a number of dockable/floatable sub-windows that can be
rearranged in different ways. Please refer to the Common Application Framework (CAF)
documentation for further details.

4.2.2 Schematic Explorer


The Schematic Explorer can be used to navigate in the Schematic World in the database. If
the Schematic Explorer is not visible, it can be displayed using the View > Schematic
Explorer command in the main application menu.
In this explorer you can see the primary Schematic Group hierarchy (refer to Groups in
Chapter Application Setup). Below each schematic group, the items are further sub-grouped
by Folders. Folders do not exist in the database, they are only a way to display items of the
same type, together, and provide a better navigation and overview.
Above the navigation tree is a Filter checkbox as well as a dropdown list where predefined
filters can be selected. If the Filter checkbox is checked, the selected filter will be applied to
the explorer tree. Currently there are tree filters available, one for each discipline (Piping,
HVAC, Electrical).
The Schematic Explorer features a context sensitive right mouse button menu that provides
common commands.

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Note: The Schematic Explorer shows the entire contents of the database and not only the
current drawing. Also, operations done through the explorer such as rename etc., will
only affect the database. To see such changes in an open drawing, the user will have
to use the Refresh command (refer to section Refresh).

4.2.3 System Explorer


The System Explorer can be used to navigate in the System Hierarchy in the database. If
the System Explorer is not visible, it can be displayed by using the View > System Explorer
command in the main application menu.

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In this explorer you can see the secondary Systems hierarchy. Below each system, the
items are further sub-grouped by Folders. Folders do not exist in the database, they are only
a way to display items of the same type, together, and provide a better navigation and
overview.
Main schematic items such as Pipelines, HVAC lines, Equipment items and Cables are
members in the system hierarchy through their SCSYSF attribute, which contains an array
of system references. This means that a schematic item can be a member of more than one
system simultaneously, thereby appearing in several places in the System Explorer tree.
The first system in the array is considered the primary system, and others are considered
secondary. By default, all subordinate items are considered to be members of the same
system as the parent Pipeline / HVACline / Equipment item. It is however possible to
override this by setting a different system reference on a subordinate item, such as a special
valve or a sub-equipment item.
In this case that particular item would both appear below the parent item (Pipeline,
Equipment) in the system explorer, and also by itself under the system set for that item.
Diagrams are shown under all systems to which the items on the diagram belong. This
includes both primary and secondary systems.
Above the navigation tree is a Filter checkbox as well as a dropdown list where predefined
filters can be selected. If the Filter checkbox is checked, the selected filter will be applied to
the explorer tree. Currently there are tree filters available, one for each discipline (Piping,
HVAC, Electrical).
The System Explorer features a context sensitive right mouse button menu that provides
common commands.

Note: The System Explorer shows the entire contents of the database and not only the
current drawing. Some administrative elements such as the SYSCDA and SYSMDA
are however hidden in order not to clutter the view. These elements can be seen and
manipulated through the systems hierarchy administration function. Please refer to
Systems in Chapter Application Setup for further information.

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4.2.4 Diagram Drafting Canvas


The MS Visio sub-window contains the diagram drawing canvas and provides access to
stencils as well as attributes through the Custom Properties / Shape Data window.

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Shape attributes are available through the Custom Properties / Shape Data window
(see below).
There are right-click menus available for shapes as well as for the drawing background
providing context sensitive short-cuts for common functions.
When an item is selected on the drawing, it will automatically be made the Current
Element (CE), which means that it will be selected in the explorer and other windows
that track the CE.
When an item is selected in the explorer, it will however not be selected in the drawing
automatically. In case the user wants to select it, there is a Select in Drawing
command on the right click menu in the explorer.
Navigation such as Scrolling, Panning, Zooming in the drawing window can be
achieved through standard Visio functions such as Ctrl+Shift+Click on left and right
mouse buttons. See table below.

Ctrl+Shift+Left Mouse button click Zoom in


Ctrl+Shift+Right Mouse button click Zoom out
Ctrl+Shift+Right Mouse button drag Pan

A number of Function Keys are available for easy access and commonly used
commands. Please refer to section Keyboard Shortcuts and Function Keys for more
information.
Please refer to the MS Visio documentation for further information about the drawing
window.

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4.2.5 Custom Properties Window / Shape Data Window

Note: The Custom Properties Window has been renamed to Shape Data Window in
Visio 2007.

If the Custom Properties / Shape Data window is not visible, it can be shown using the
View > Custom Properties / Shape Data Window command in the main menu. The
attributes presented for each kind of item can be changed using the Attribute Presentation
settings in Diagrams Options in Chapter Getting Started.
When the value of an attribute is changed through Shape Data, it will automatically be
changed in the related database item using the current Dabacon Session as well. To
permanently save the changes to the database, the Save Work command must be issued.
For further information about this, refer to section Save Work and Save As.
To enter multiple values for an array type attribute, the values can be entered separated by
a blank (using space bar).
In case more than one shape is selected in the drawing, Shape Data will show the attributes
for the first selected item. If the user will then update an attribute value, it will be applied to
all selected shapes.

4.2.6 Item List


The Item List contains lists of the items on the current page of the diagram drawing. These
are arranged on different tabs according to their type. The Item List can be shown by using
the View > Item List command in the main menu.

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The Item List is synchronized with the drawing, so that any items added to or removed from
the current drawing page will immediately be reflected in the Item List.

Note: When drawings with many items are being worked on, the automatic synchronization
between the drawing and the Item List might lead to a noticeable delay in some
situations, depending on the computer performance rating. In case this happens, the
automatic updating can be turned off by setting the System configuration > Item
List > Automatic updating default setting in Diagrams Options to False. Then the
Item List can be refreshed manually by using the Refresh command on the right click
menu.

When items are selected in the drawing, they will also be selected in the Item List and vice
versa. This behaviour can be turned off by setting the Connect Item List with Drawing
default option to False.
In the Pipe inline components and HVAC inline components tabs, Tube and Duct elements
are by default not shown in the list. It is however possible to turn on the display of Tubes/
Ducts by changing the System configuration > Item List > Tube/Duct visible default
setting in Diagrams Options to True.
The Item List is using the AVEVA Grid Control which provides a number of filtering, sorting
and grouping functions. For more information about the AVEVA Grid Control, please refer to
Getting started with PDMS documentation. The presentation of attributes in the Item List is
configurable by the Attribute Presentation tab in the Tools > Diagrams Options dialogue.
Please refer to Attribute Presentation in Chapter Getting Started for further information.
Attribute data can be edited in the Item List as well as in the Custom Properties / Shape
Data Window (refer to section Custom Properties Window / Shape Data Window).
The Item List features a right click menu that contains the same item specific commands as
in the Schematic Explorer as well as some presentation options such as Show Filter Line,
Show Group Panel etc.
The Item List also includes an Export to spreadsheet feature. This is further described
under section Export.

4.2.7 Catalogue Search


By selecting the View > Catalogue Search command in the main application menu, the
Catalogue Search window can be shown. This is further described under Manual
Component Selection.

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4.2.8 Command Line


By selecting the View > Command Line command in the main application menu, the
Command Window can be displayed. In the Command Window you can type in standard
PDMS commands for listing and manipulating data, executing PML functions etc. For more
information, please refer to the Data Management and Data Base / Database Management
Reference Manual.

Note: The command line should be used with care, and it is important to fully understand
the consequences of the commands issued. Some commands might not work as
expected in the Diagrams context. A few examples of these are listed below:

If changing modules by issuing the PDMS or similar commands, the Diagrams exit
handling will be bypassed, so settings and data will not be properly saved.
By using the Savework command, the diagram document might not be saved if the
user subsequently clicks Cancel in the following dialogue.
Any DB element data that is changed through command line commands will not be
available in the diagram until the Refresh command has been used.

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4.2.9 Message Log

The Message Log can be shown by issuing the View > Message Log command from the
main application menu, or by clicking on the Message Log in the Status Bar (refer to
section Status Bar for more information).
The Message Log shows messages that occur when the application is being used.
Messages can have different severity (Error, Warning or Information) as indicated by the
icon. In case a message is related to a particular shape in the drawing, this is indicated by
the shape name in the Shape column and the page number in the Page column. In this case
it is also possible to click on the message to select the related shape in the drawing. If the
shape is not available on the drawing any more (i.e. was deleted or drawing is closed), the
page number disappears after the first click on the line with this shape. When the shape is
not visible in the drawing window, the window will pan/zoom as necessary.
The Message Log can be cleared of all messages by right clicking and selecting Clear
Message Log.
The columns are as follows:

Column Explanation
Message 1. The icon indicates the severity of the message (Error, Warning or
Information)
2. Message text
Shape Name of the Visio shape that the message is related to.
Connection Connection number of the shape which the message is related to. This is
only shown in case the message is related with a certain connection
point on the shape.
DB Element Name of DB element that the shape is related to. This is only shown in
case the message is related to a shape that has a corresponding DB
element.
Page Page number in the drawing on which the related shape exists. This is
only shown in case the message is related to a shape.
Time The time that the message was generated.

Note: When the Message Log window is not open, any error or warning (but not
informational messages) that occurs will cause the status bar panel to flash in an
orange colour. The flashing will stop as soon as the user moves the mouse to the
status bar panel. Please note that in some cases several messages can be
generated by a single user operation. In the example below, it is not the SPRE
changed informational message that caused the flashing, but rather the previous
error message. Opening the Message Log will show that a previous error message
caused the flashing.

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Status bar panel flashes when the Message Log window is not open.

Opening the Message Log reveals the actual error message that caused the flashing.
There is also a functionality which allows exporting the Message log and Consistency check
results to a txt or xls file. This is available in the right click contex menu of the Message Log
and Consistency Check window.

4.2.10 Status Bar

The status bar contains the following panels from left to right:

Panel Description
Status message Shows status messages, for instance how many shapes are
selected at the moment.
Message Log Shows the latest message in the Message Log. By clicking on
this panel, the Message Log window will be shown (refer to the
section Message Log for more information).

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Panel Description
Current Line Shows the name of the current Pipeline/HVACline. The
application remembers the latest Pipeline/HVACline that was
selected by the user. In case the CE moves to another part of the
schematic hierarchy, for instance by selecting an equipment
item, the latest selected Pipeline/HVACline will still be
remembered and shown in this panel. If any new branches are
added, they will be created in the line shown in this panel. If you
click on this panel, the line shown will become CE.
Sessions Defaults When the mouse pointer is hovered over this panel the following
tooltip will be shown:

Default System - Shows the current Default System. When new


items, that can be part of the System hierarchy, are created they
will be created under the current Default System. The current
Default System can be changed by clicking on this panel, this will
bring up the Standard DB Browse Dialogue.
Default Groups - This panel shows the current setting for
Default groups. This can be either Individual per type or Get from
CE. The Default Groups setting determines at which position in
the main hierarchy (schematic groups) that new items will be
created. By clicking on the panel, the Default Groups dialogue
will be shown (see below). In the Default Groups dialogue, the
default group can be set up for each type of item. In case UDETs
are being used, separate settings can be applied for each UDET
type.
In case the Get Default Group from CE checkbox is checked,
new elements will instead be created under the Schematic
Group which is found in the CE path.
Default Attributes - This panel shows the number of currently
used default attributes.

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Figure 4:2. The Default Groups dialogue.

4.2.11 Search
The Search command is available in the View menu. This function searches the database
for elements based on name, element type or other criteria and can be useful for finding
elements in case the user is not familiar with their location in the schematic hierarchy and
are therefore difficult to locate in the explorer. The Search Results shows a list of elements
found, and features a right-click menu with common commands.

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4.2.12 Find in Drawing Toolbar


The Find in Drawing Toolbar can be used for finding and highlighting of shapes in the
diagram. These selections can be used for further operations.

The procedure to use the Selection Toolbar is as follows:


1. First select the type of element using the Type dropdown box.
2. Select an attribute using the Attribute dropdown box. If no attribute is selected, all
items of the specified type will be selected in the drawing. It is also possible to key in
the name of a pseudo attribute or a referenced attribute in this field. In order to do that
square brackets must be used, e.g. [ABORE] or [SPRE.CATR.PARA(1)].

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3. Select an operator using the Operator dropdown box.


4. Enter a criteria value. The value can be left blank in case you are searching for shapes
where some fields have not been set, for instance where SPRE in not set.
5. Click the Find and Select button to select items according to the criteria, or click the
Find and Highlight button to instead highlight items according to the criteria.
6. Click the Previous button to go to the previous item within the collection of selected or
highlighted shapes. The Next button goes to the next item within the collection of
selected or highlighted shapes.
By clicking the Add to Current Selection/Highlight button, the add to mode will be
enabled or disabled. When enabled, it means that a new search will add to the existing
selection or highlight. When disabled, a new search will disregard the previous selection /
highlight the next time that the user performs a search.
The Find in Drawing toolbar also includes an option to find items within the currently made
selection. With the Select/Highlight in selection mode active, any find and select or find and
highlight command will only consider items within the current selection. When using this
mode, it is therefore possible to first make a selection using the Area or Lasso method prior
to clicking any of the find buttons.

Note: The Select/Highlight in Selection and Add to Current Selection/Highlight


buttons are mutually exclusive.

When the Zoom To button is activated the application will zoom and/or pan so that the
entire selection is visible.
By using the dropdown for Defined/Undefined Shapes this function can be set up to
search for only Defined shapes, Undefined shapes or both.
On the History dropdown there is a list of previous searches that the user has made. By
selecting one of these, a previous search can be recalled and the Type, Attribute,
Operator and Value fields will be updated accordingly. The user will then have to click the
Find and Select or Find and Highlight button to perform the search.

4.2.13 Standard DB Browse Dialogue


A standard dialogue is used for several tasks where a DB reference is to be set. The
dialogue enables the user to navigate the relevant parts of the database hierarchy as well as
search for items by a text search. When the OK button is clicked, the reference to the
selected item will be returned to the UI component from which the dialogue was called.

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In the Database Tree tab only relevant parts of the database for the current context is
shown. In case the user is supposed to select a certain kind of element, only this kind of
element together with necessary hierarchy elements will be shown.

Using the Search tab, it is possible to make a text search in the database.

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In case the user has selected a hierarchy node in the Database Tree tab, the search will be
limited within that part of the hierarchy. The current search scope can be seen after the
Search in label above the text criteria field.
The text criteria should be keyed into the criteria field. This will be matched against a
concatenation of the Name and Description attributes as the search is being carried out. In
case no wildcard characters are used, only items with a whole word matching the criteria will
be found. In case more than one word is entered, this will be considered as a complete
string to be matched. This means that if you want to find a string that contains two or more
words which might be separated by other words, you will have to use asterisks in between
(see wildcards below).
The asterisk (*) character can be used as a wildcard denominator. Asterisks can be placed
before (e.g. *A3), after (e.g. A3*) or in between (e.g. system*spec). This can also be
combined (e.g. *A3*).

Note: The search is not case sensitive.

4.2.14 Document Links


The Links command is available in the View menu and the Tools menu. It allows the user
to link documents, URLs etc., to elements in a generic fashion using the LinksAddin. The
functionality provided by the LinksAddin is further described in Database Management
Reference Manual chapter Link Documents.

4.2.15 Edit Members


The Edit Members command is available in the Edit menu and also in the Context menu
displayed for elements in the Schematic Explorer. This is an addin which provides
functionality to manage members of CE, edit attributes, creating/deleting elements,
duplicating some of the members, etc.

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4.2.16 Reference List


This is an addin which immediately shows the references form the CE to other database
elements. It is very useful for checking dependencies between elements and also provides
the possibility to navigate between referenced items. This function is available in the View
menu.

4.2.17 Status Control


Status Control is the ability to control and report on the status of individual model objects as
they progress through their lifecycles. It can be applied to any model objects, e.g. tagged
items, catalogue components, drawings, etc. It can be expressed in a variety of ways, e.g.
Approved for Construction, 80% Complete, Clash Free, etc.
For more information about Status Control please refer to the Status Control documentation.

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4.2.18 Auto Formatting Rules


The Auto Formatting Rules functionality allows the user to control the appearance of
shapes depending on database data. This could be settings like:
Different colour for different fluids
Different line patterns depending on insulation, tracing etc.
Layer membership depending on catalogue reference
This can be achieved by defining attribute driven Rules which then can be executed on
shapes. Rules are grouped into rule sets which allows to selectively applying them to
shapes. Rule sets can be defined in the Rule Sets window which can be shown using the
View>Other Windows>Auto Formatting Rules Window command or the appropriate
button on the Auto Formatting Rules toolbar.

Figure 4:3. Auto Formatting Rules window

Auto Formatting Rules Window


The Auto Formatting Rules window provides functionality to define Rules Sets and create
new Rules below them. Rules and whole Rule Sets can then be copied, removed or
renamed using the right mouse button menu:

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Figure 4:4. Right-mouse button menus in the Auto Formatting Rules window

Rules and Rule Sets can also be re-ordered using the Drag&Drop functionality.
It is also possible to turn on/off rules or whole rule sets using check boxes in the left part of
the window. If the main node is turned off all the rule sets and rules are not active. Turning a
rule or rule set off means that it will be skipped when rules are executed either manually or
automatically on events.

Auto Formatting Rule Details Window


This window is shown when a new rule is created or after selecting Rule Details from the
rule context menu. It provides functionality to specify rule definition by setting the following:
rule name and description
selection criteria
format to apply to matching shapes
additional rule options
When the rule is executed on the current drawing, first all the shapes that meet the selection
criteria are found and then the appropriate format is applied to them according to the
additional options.

Setting Selection Criteria


The Selection Criteria are specifying to which elements a rule will be applied. They can be
defined in two ways:
1. using element type and attribute values
2. or using a pml expression.
This can be chosen in the Criteria drop down box.

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Figure 4:5. Defining selection criteria using the Type & attribute value option

If the Type & attribute value is selected it provides the possibility to select the type of
elements to which the rule should be applied and then to define the number of attribute
filters. It is also possible to select All types which means that the attribute filters will be
matched to all elements. To specify attribute filters select the Attribute from the drop down
in the Attribute column in the grid. It is possible to use regular attributes as well as
referenced attributes. It is also possible to key in the attribute name rather than select it from
the list. The attributes list contains system attributes and UDAs valid for the selected type
including referenced attributes defined in Attribute Presentation in Diagrams Options. It
does not contain pseudo attributes unless they are added in the Attribute Presentation. If
there is no type specified for the rule (All is selected in the Type drop down) the list consists
of merged attributes for all database types that can be represented on a diagram. After the
attribute is selected, the operator and value to compare should be specified as shown in the
screenshot above. A new row for the next attribute filter is added automatically after the
current row is edited. To delete an existing attribute filter row select the whole row and press
the Delete key on the keyboard.
When several attribute filters are defined it is possible to decide if all of them should meet
the rule for a specified shape or if it is enough that one of them is valid for a given shape.
This depends on the state of the Require all the following check box.
If the selection criteria type is set to PML expression then there will be a text box displayed
to key in the expression. It will be executed on all database elements represented on the
drawing and the element will be considered as satisfying the rule criteria if the expression
returnes True. Therefore the expression must be of boolean type, e.g. FUNC EQ PIPE. For

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more information about constructing PML expression see User Guide Software
Customisation / Customisation Guide / PML Expressions.

Figure 4:6. Defining selection criteria using the PML expression option

After the selection criteria are defined it is possible to check to which shapes the rule will be
applied on the current drawing using the Highlight link placed at the right bottom of the
dialogue. After this is clicked all shapes meeting the criteria will be highlighted on the current
drawing.

Specifying Format to be Applied


When the shapes meet the rule criteria are found during the executing rule, the format
properties defined by this rule are applied to them. The format to be applied to the matching
shape can be defined on the Format to be assigned tab:

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Figure 4:7. Defining format to be applied by rule

The tab page contains a list of all format properties possible to assign using the rule. If the
associated value is not set (blank) it means that the property is not going to be set.
The following properties can be assigned:
line colour if the value for the property is set, then the line colour of the shapes
meeting the rule criteria will be set appropriately. This will override the Defined,
Released To 3D and Associated With 3D colours. The Value can be defined in the
dialogue presented after clicking the button in the field:

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Figure 4:8. Define line colour

line pattern can be defined by selecting the desired value from the drop down in the
corresponding field. The value can also be keyed in. It determines which line pattern
can be assigned to shapes matching the rule. If a selected pattern is defined, it should
be added to the drawing before applying the rule. Otherwise there will be no visible
effect (only the formula will be set appropriately).

Figure 4:9. Selecting line pattern

line weight line weight can be selected from the list or be put into the corresponding
field as a text. If the value is keyed in without a unit string, then when the rule is being
applied, the default page unit will be used.

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Figure 4:10. Selecting line weight

line cap can be selected from a list or keyed in, in the same way as line pattern
line transparency should be selected from the list or keyed in into the appropriate
field. It should be a numeric value and it will be considered to be expressed in %

Figure 4:11. Specifying transparency

fill colour can be set in the same way as line colour


fill pattern fill pattern can be selected from a list or keyed in, in the same way as line
pattern
fill pattern colour it is defined in the same way as line colour
fill transparency should be selected from the list or keyed in as a number and it will be
considered to be expressed in %
layer layer can be selected from the list containing layers present on the current
drawing or keyed in into the appropriate field. If it is set, then all shapes matching the
rule will be added to the layer and removed from the layers they belonged to before. If
a layer with a name does not exist it will be created.

Figure 4:12. Selecting a layer

If <No layer> is selected from the list, then after the rule is executed, all shapes meeting its
criteria will belong to no layer. If the <Auto> option is chosen, then shapes will be put into
layers depending on their catalogue reference for each spec a corresponding layer will be
created and all shapes having reference to the spec will be added to the layer.
text font defines the font to be used in the text of shapes matching the rule. It can be
selected from the following list:

Figure 4:13. Selecting text font

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text size can be selected from a list of typical font sizes or keyed in:

Figure 4:14. Selecting text size

text colour - can be set in the same way as other colours


text style specifies if text in shapes fulfilling the rule criteria should be bold, italic, etc.
An appropriate value can be selected from the following list:

Figure 4:15. Selecting text style

text transparency should be selected from the list or keyed in as a number and it will
be considered to be expressed in %
Sometimes there is a need to clear previous formatting before applying the new one. In
such a case, the Clear auto formatting check box placed on the format tab below the table
can be used:

If this check box is ticked then the previous formatting done by the rules will be cleaned for
all shapes fulfilling current rule criteria. Also, in such a case the formatting table will be
disabled for editing.

Additional Rule Options


To make rules more adjustable to specific needs it is possible to set several additional
options. This can be made using the Rule options tab:

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The options possible to set are:


apply rule to protected members of grouped shapes if the option is unchecked then
any format defined in the rule will not be applied to group members protected from
group formatting. It can be set by selecting Format>Protection and checking the
appropriate option in the dialogue opened by the command:

Note: The option will be ignored and disabled for editing when Clear auto formatting is
checked in the Format to be assigned tab.

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overwrite guarded Visio formulas if the option is not checked then the format will not
be applied if corresponding cell in shape sheet is guarded, e.g. line colour will not be
applied to shape if its LineColor cell contains formula=GUARD(7).
Note: The option will be ignored and disabled for editing when Clear auto formatting is
checked in the Format to be assigned tab.

apply rule automatically on events (if enabled) if the option is not checked then rule
will not be executed automatically even if Auto apply rules is on, see also Executing
Rules below.
handling annotations if a shape matches the rule, then this setting provides the
possibility to decide if the format should be applied to the shape only, to the shape and
its annotations (attached labels) or only for the shapes annotations.

Executing Rules
Rules and rule sets are controlled by the Auto Formatting Rules toolbar which allows the
turn on/off of several options and to manually execute rule sets:

Figure 4:16. Auto Formatting Rules Toolbar

To manually execute the rule set on a current drawing, the appropriate value (name of the
rule set to be executed) should be selected from the drop down on the toolbar and after that
the Apply rules button should be clicked.

After that the active rules from the selected rule set are executed and the format they define
is applied to matching shapes. If All rule sets is selected, then all rules are executed.

Note: Rules are applied to defined shapes only.

Note: Rules are applied in sequence and if one of them is specifying the same property,
e.g. colour as the previous rule, then the previous value will be overwritten. It could
be used to define the sequence of rules going from a very general criteria to more
specified conditions, but it is important to keep the appropriate rules order.

If the Zoom to option is on, then the zoom of the current page is adjusted to show all
changed shapes.
After the rules are executed and the appropriate formats are applied, it is possible to restore
the original format from the shapes on the current drawing using the Reverse button: .

To turn on the automatic executing, select the Auto apply rules button: . When this
button is checked, the active rules with set Apply rule automatically on events option are
executed after different events. The events can be determined in Diagrams Options:

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Figure 4:17. Specifying events which should trigger executing formatting rules

4.3 Standard MS Visio Functions


The standard MS Visio functions are embedded and available through menus and toolbars.
For more information about MS Visio functions, refer to the MS Visio documentation.
Below can be seen the main application menus, where the standard MS Visio functions
have been highlighted in a yellow colour.

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Other main application menus do not contain any standard MS Visio commands.

4.4 Application Modes


Diagrams can operate in three different application modes:
P&ID mode
Cable mode
HVAC mode
The selected mode will affect some of the available commands. Each mode has its own
main application menu (P&ID, HVAC, Cable) that is only available when that mode is
selected.

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Figure 4:18. Application mode selection in Tools menu.

4.5 Keyboard Shortcuts and Function Keys


In the following table is listed the various keyboard shortcuts available in Diagrams.
Standard Visio commands have been highlighted in a yellow colour, while Diagrams specific
commands are not.

4.6 File Handling

4.6.1 Overview
All diagrams, stencils and templates are handled through proxy elements in the database,
even if the actual files are stored in the file system. Please refer to Database Architecture in
Chapter Diagrams Overview for an overview of how these documents are managed.

Note: It is possible to choose binary or XML format for saving Visio documents. For more
information please see Document file formats in Document Files, Sessions etc. in
Chapter Application Setup.

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4.6.2 New

New diagrams, templates and stencils can be created through the New Diagram and New
Stencil commands in the file menu.

If desired, a template for a new diagram can be chosen from the database. If no template
should be used, then click the No template button.

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To ensure integrity between data on the drawing and its database representation, when a
new diagram is created (from a template or not) it should be saved to the database. For that
reason the user is immediately prompted for a name and database location for the new
document via the standard Save Diagram As dialogue as seen below:

There is a possibility to create a new drawing without saving it to the database. This is done
by clicking the Cancel button as it states in the dialogue title bar. However, then the
document is considered read-only and any database related changes to its content are not
allowed.

Note: The same occurs when an external drawing is imported using File >Import
>Drawing. The imported drawing should be either saved to the database or be
opened in read-only mode.

4.6.3 Open
Existing diagrams, stencils and templates can be opened through the File menu.

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When the Open command is issued, the Open dialogue is shown. This dialogue shows a
list of the diagram, stencil and template index elements in the database, through which the
diagrams can be opened.

Diagrams, stencils and templates can also be opened by double clicking or using the right-
click menu of the Schematic Explorer.

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In case the diagram is connected to other diagrams through off-page connectors, the
Connected Diagrams command will be available. By selecting this command either of two
things will happen:
1. If the diagram is connected to one other diagram only, this diagram will open.
2. If the diagram is connected to several other diagrams, a list of diagrams will be shown
so the user can select which one(s) to open.

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Note: When the user tries to open a diagram that is already claimed a dialogue will be
shown where the user gets the opportunity to open in read only mode.

4.6.4 Open Read Only


It is possible to open a diagram as read only. It will not be possible to modify the diagram
and in read only mode it will not be claimed. This means that other users still can open it in
Read/Write mode (using the normal Open command). The Open Read Only command is
available in a number of situations as seen below.

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Figure 4:19. Context menus on SCDIAG

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Figure 4:20. Context menus on SCPLIN or its members (also SCEQUI etc.)

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Figure 4:21. When line, equipment etc. are placed on diagrams

Figure 4:22. When option Connected Diagrams is chosen

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Figure 4:23. Open from File menu

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Figure 4:24. In Open From Batch Job

Figure 4:25. In Line Properties

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Figure 4:26. In the Search Result context menus

4.6.5 Save Work and Save As


When the Save Work command is issued, the following actions will be performed:

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1. Saving the Visio drawing and modified stencils to the file system, also re-saving all
opened documents with a file format not corresponding to Save documents in the Visio
XML format setting.
2. Updating the SCDIAG and SCSTEN index elements in the database with Visio drawing
related data.
3. Performing the Dabacon SaveWork, thereby flushing all session data to the database.
The Save As command will provide the user with a possibility to save the drawing under a
different name and with the option to duplicate all the presented data. In order to keep
consistency between the database and drawings it is not possible to execute the Save As
command on a drawing containing unsaved database related changes. In such a case the
changes must first be saved and therefore the operation is cancelled with the following
warning message.

Figure 4:27. Save As warning message

After the Save As command has been executed and the drawing does not contain any
database related changes, the name and location for a new drawing should be specified in
the Save As dialog.

Figure 4:28. Save As dialogue

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The location for a new diagram is assigned by selecting the schematic group element below
which the diagram should be created. It is also possible to create new schematic groups by
right-clicking on the Schematic World element or on an existing Schematic Group element in
the element tree to the left.
Depending on the Copy DB items option, shown in the picture above, the new diagram can
be saved in two different ways:
When the option is checked, all items that are defined in the database are duplicated
together with the drawing containing the changes. For more information refer to Save
As with Copy of Data.
When the option is unchecked, the drawing is duplicated but all the containing shapes
are undefined on the copy of the diagram.
When the drawing has been successfully saved with Saved As, with a copy of the database
data or not, the user is prompted to perform a Save Work.

Note: If the Diagrams application is closed without the execution of Save Work the newly
created copy of the drawing will not be saved between sessions.

Note: If more than one diagram is open, all open diagrams will be saved when Save Work
is performed.

Important: It is not allowed to overwrite an existing diagram by performing a Save As and


selecting the same name as an existing diagram. This is due to technical
reasons and the way that diagram files are stored and referred from the DB
proxy elements (SCDIAG). The workaround is to first delete the diagram to be
overwritten before performing the Save As using the same name.

4.6.6 Save As with Copy of Data


The Diagrams application provides a possibility to duplicate a drawing together with its
database context. To use this functionality Save As should be executed on a drawing to be
copied and the Copy DB items option should be checked. Then, after the Save button is
clicked, the user is provided with further options:

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4.6.7 Save Work and SVG Creation

Overview
To reduce time for the Save Work function to complete it is possible to choose when to
create SVG files for the diagram. The basic concept of this functionality is described in the
flowchart below.

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Figure 4:29. Save Work and SVG creation flowchart

You can change the Save Work behaviour via the Diagrams Options>Create SVG on
Save Work option:

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Figure 4:30. Diagrams Options - Create SVG on Save Work

Create SVG on Save Work Set to Always


Each time that Save Work is executed SVG files are generated for every page of the
diagram. Whether the diagram has elements released to 3D or not has no impact.

Create SVG on Save Work Set to For Data Released to 3D Only


Each time Save Work is executed SVG files are generated for each page of the diagram
that contains data released to 3D. For every page that does not contain released to 3D data
a dummy SVG file is being created. The dummy file is just an empty file with some basic
parameters so the diagram data is possible to load to the integrator without errors.

Create SVG on Save Work Set to Never


SVG files are never created when Save Work is executed. However, if the diagram contains
released to 3D data a warning message is displayed in the message log.

Alternate Way of Creating SVG Files


Thereisonemorewayofcreating,orratherupdating,SVGfiles,theBatchJobfunction.
ThiscanbeselectedfromtheFile/BatchJobfunctionintheDiagramsmenu.Justselct
thediagramsthataretobeupdatedandclickUpdateDiagrams:

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On the next form there is no need to select any options, just click Update!.

All selected diagrams that had SVG files created for them will have SVG files generated
again for all pages in the diagram. If a diagram had no SVG files created it will not be
modified and no SVG files will be created.

Note: This option only updates pages that were previously exported. Dummy pages will not
be updated.

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Release Diagram to 3D Button

Click the Release Diagram to 3D button or select it from the File menu and select the
pages for releasing items to 3D.
This is a simple way to release all items to 3D on selected pages of the diagram. It will affect
all elements on the selected pages.

If a page was previously released to 3D then it will be pre-selected and the date of the
recent release will be displayed.

Note: This performs Save Work.

If you are working with extracts, then the Flush extract checkbox will be active. By checking
it, all data that were released on sthe elected pages will be flushed to the master database.

Note: It is strongly recommended to set the Keep session files option to True. Otherwise,
each Save Work in the extract will replace and rename existing Visio and SVG files
and may make them inaccessible at the master location

4.6.8 Save As with Copy of Data


The Diagrams application provides the possibility to duplicate a drawing together with
related database items. To be able to use this functionality the Copy DB items option, in the
Save As dialogue, see Figure 4:31.: Copy DB items tick box below, should be ticked and the
Save As command should be performed on the drawing that is to be copied. Then click the
Save button to display more options. (The full Save As dialogue is shown in Figure 4:28.:
Save As dialogue above).

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Figure 4:31. Copy DB items tick box

At this stage it is possible to cancel the Save As by clicking the Cancel button. The
operation is then aborted and no copy of the drawing is created.
The settings available on the Copy DB Items dialog, shown above, are described below:

Location for New Elements


Copies of database items are created below groups specified for particular types in the
Defaults Groups settings. The destination groups can be modified by clicking the
Change... button. The Defaults Groups dialog is displayed and new groups can be
selected for different types. The new setting will be saved when the Save As operation is
finished.

Note: If a default group is not set for an element type, then elements of such type will not
be copied and appropriate shapes will be undefined on the destination drawing.

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Copy Options

Auto named copied elements


This option is only available when auto naming is enabled. This is done via Tools > Other
Options > Naming. Tick this option to apply auto naming rules to copied elements. If this
option is not ticked, then copies of named items will get a Copy-of- prefix while copies of
unnamed items will remain unnamed.

Create secondary shapes for applicable types


Select this option to create secondary shapes for Equipment, Sub-equipment, Electrical
connection items, Cables and Multi-cables. This means that these types of items will not be
copied and the shapes in the new diagram will instead refer to the same database items as
in the old diagram.

Copy database items and create primary shapes


Select this option to copy database items and create primary shapes for Equipment, Sub-
equipment, electrical connection items, Cables and Multi-cables. If selected then a number
of the following options become available (in addition, to make these options available, the
appropriate situation must be relevant for the diagram that is being copied):
Copy owning equipment not on current diagram - in case of the diagram containing
sub-equipment, where the owning equipment item is not represented on the current
diagram, this option should be checked to also copy those owning equipment items.
Copy sub-equipment not on current diagram - if the diagram contains equipment
that owns sub-equipment items that are not represented on the current diagram, this
option should be checked to also copy those sub-equipment items.
Copy nozzles not on current diagram - in cases where the diagram contains
equipment that owns nozzles that are not represented on the current diagram, this
option should be checked to also copy those nozzles.
Copy electrical connections not on current diagram - if the diagram contains
equipment that owns electrical connection items that are not represented on the
current diagram, this option should be ticked to also copy those electrical connections.
Copy cores with cables - when the diagram contains cables that own cores, this
option should be ticked to copy the cores as well.

Refresh

Refresh copied drawing


If this option is ticked, the shapes on a newly created drawing are refreshed during the Save
As operation. It will make the operation take longer, but all the texts on all the shapes will be
updated.
When the appropriate options are selected click OK. The drawing is duplicated and all DB
items it contains are copied according to the settings from the dialog. The progress of the
copy operation is presented in the Progress Bar in the application window. The information
about all subsequent steps is also saved in the Diagrams Message Log:

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4.6.9 Get Work


To get access to updates done by other users, the Get Work command can be used. This
works exactly like the standard PDMS Get Work command.

4.6.10 Delete
Diagrams can be deleted using the Delete command on the right click menu on the
SCDIAG element in the schematic explorer. When a diagram is deleted, any related items
on that diagram will not be deleted from the database. However, all references to that
diagram will be cleared. This means that if the diagram for instance contains an equipment
shape, the DIAREFARRAY on the equipment item will be updated, but the equipment item
as such will not be deleted.
Any orphan items left over when diagrams are deleted can be found by searching for items
where DIAREFARRAY is empty.

Note: When a single page within a diagram is deleted, the user will be presented with a
question regarding deleting all items from the database or not.

4.6.11 Additional Notes on File Handling


Below are a few notes regarding file handling:
The application supports Multiple Document Interface (MDI) which allows several
diagrams to be open at one time. However, due to technical reasons and the
integration between the document state and the database state (Save Work and DB
sessions), it is not possible to only save one single document or to close one single
document.
When Save Work is performed, all open diagrams will be saved.
When Quit Work is performed (for instance when one diagram is closed), all open
diagrams will be closed.
When exiting the application, the user will be prompted whether to save work or not.
When KEEP_SESSION_FILES default setting is set to False, there is a tool available
for cleaning old session files. For more information refer to Clean Old Session Files in
Chapter Utilities.

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4.7 Define / Undefine


The Define command will create a new database element that corresponds to a shape and
link the shape to that database element. In case an element with the same name already
exists in the DB, the application will issue an error message and create a new unnamed
element. The Define command is available on the Object > Define main menu, on the
Object toolbar as well as on the right click menu for shapes in the drawing.
For piping and HVAC branches, there is also a Define Branch command that will create a
new branch element under the current pipe-/HVAC-line and define all in-line fittings in the
branch in one go.
The Undefine command will break the link between the shape and the corresponding
database element. The database element will not be deleted.

Note: When Undefine is performed, the attributes will be cleared using the same rules as
when a shape is copied, refer to the Copy with shape setting in Step 4: Attribute
Presentation in Chapter Getting Started.

During normal drafting of diagrams by dragging and dropping shapes from a stencil and
connecting together in the drawing, the Define operation will be handled automatically by
the application. The manual define/undefined only has to be used in special situations. For
example, if a number of inline fitting shapes (a branch or part of a branch) are copied and
pasted, they will not automatically be defined, so the user will have to first select a current
Pipe-/HVAC-line and then issue the Define command.
It is possible to disable the automatic Define mechanism by setting the Define shape on
drop to False.
As a visual feedback to the user, it is possible to set up a default colour that is automatically
assigned to shapes when they are defined. This is done by the Colour setting for each kind
of item under Element Options in Diagrams Options in Chapter Getting Started. Using the
default application settings from the installation, this means that Equipment and Pipework
shapes will turn blue as they are defined, HVAC ducting and fittings will turn green etc. In
case the colour does not change on drop/connect, the user will see that the shape could not
be defined.

4.8 Refresh
The relation between Visio shapes and their corresponding database elements means that
attribute data is actually stored in two places during program execution. The architecture is
designed in such a way that the database element is considered the master.
Under some circumstances the attribute data might become out-of-sync, so that the
database element becomes updated while the shape is not. This can for instance occur
when attribute data has been updated from the command line, or when a shape text refers
to other database elements and these element have been updated.
In this case the Refresh command can be used. The Refresh command updates the shape
attributes from the corresponding database element data. Refresh can be performed on a
single shape, on a group of shapes or on all shapes in the drawing.The Refresh command
can be called from the main application Object menu, from the Object toolbar or from the
Shape and Drawing right-click menus, but it is also executed automatically after some of
operations, e.g. after Refit/Resize, Rename Elements or other commands available from
the menu.

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4.8.1 Feedback on Refresh


The Diagrams application provides functionality to indicate changes made to shape data
after the Refresh command has been executed. This functionality makes it possible to know
what changes have been picked up from the database - it is useful when database data has
been modified by some external application, an addin or by another user in a parallel
session. The user can be updated about the changes by highlighting of the modified shape
and/or its annotation and also by appropriate messages in the message log.
The functionality is controlled by a number of settings:

The settings controlling feedback given by highlighting a shape and/or its annotation are as
follows:
Reset highlight before refresh indicates whether the Reset Highlight command
should be executed before the Refresh command is executed.
Highlight shape with changed attributes - if this option is set to true, then a shape that
has attributes updated by the Refresh command will be highlighted.
Highlight changed annotation - if this option is set to true, then after the Refresh
command is executed and the shape's text has been changed, the text will be
highlighted. If the text on the Labels/Multi-labels, attached to the shape being
refreshed, was changed, the annotation will be highlighted as well.

Figure 4:32. Changed shape and its annotation (text and attached label) being highlighted after
Refresh

Apart from highlighting the modified shape or annotation the changes are also indicated by
messages in the message log. There is possibility to adjust the level of information

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according to individual user needs using the Message level setting. It can be set to the
following values:
Summary message for refresh operation - only one summary message with
information of the number of changed shapes will be given:

Message per shape a summary message and also one message for each changed
shape with information about the number of changed attributes will be displayed:

Message per attribute there will be a summary message and also one message for
each updated attribute (except attributes listed in Ignore changed attributes setting):

Another option controlling the feedback on Refresh is Zoom out to show all changes.
When this option is set to True it gives a possibility to zoom out to see all changes, then after
the refresh, zoom is adjusted to show all changed shapes on the current page.
To avoid indications on any insignificant changes, it is possible to set attributes which should
be skipped by feedback on Refresh. They can be listed as value Ignore changed
attributes. The attributes to be ignored should be separated by commas or spaces like on
the examples below:

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Referenced attributes cannot be listed in the setting, but they are ignored if any of their parts
are skipped, e.g. OWNER_NAME will be ignored if the Ignore changed attributes list
contains an OWNER or NAME attribute. A change made to ignored attributes during refresh
will be skipped in the message log information (there will be no message if the level is set to
Per attribute and also the change will not be counted in Per shape and summary
information). If all changed attributes for the refreshed shape are listed in the Ignore
changed attributes list, the shape will not be highlighted even if Highlight shape with
changed attributes is on. However, if the ignored attribute causes any modification of the
shape's text or label text, the text and the label will still be highlighted if Highlight changed
annotation is set to True.
By default the feedback is given only if the Refresh operation is executed from the menu or
if it is called after a drawing is opened and the Refresh drawing on opening is set to True.
However, it is possible to set the 'Give feedback on automatic refresh' to On to get feedback
on the automatically called Refresh operations, e.g. after Refit and Resize.

4.9 Consistency Check


The Consistency Check command can be executed on a single shape, several shapes or
on all shapes in the drawing. This function will perform two kinds of checks on the selected
items. It will check the consistency between the drawing and the database as well as
performing an engineering check.

In case any inconsistencies are found, these will be listed in the Consistency Check
Result window. Inconsistencies are classified as Errors, Warnings and Informational
messages as indicated by the status icon.
The columns are as follows:

Column Explanation
Shape 1. The icon indicates the severity of the problem (Error, Warning or
Information).
2. Name of the Visio shape that the problem is related to.
Connection Connection number of the shape which the problem is related to. This
is only shown in case the problem is related to a certain connection
point on the shape.

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DB Element Name of DB element that the shape is related to. This is only shown
in case the problem is related to a shape that has a corresponding DB
element.
Page Page number in the drawing on which the related shape exists. This
is only shown in case the message is related to a shape.
Problem Problem text. See below for the list of problems that can be detected
by the Consistency Check function.
Corrective action In case any corrective action has been taken, this will be indicated in
this column.

By clicking on each line in the dialogue, the corresponding shape will be highlighted in the
drawing. In case the shape is not visible in the current view, the system will pan and if
necessary zoom out to make the entire shape visible.
The system will also attempt to bring back the drawing to a consistent state against the
database in case any inconsistencies have been detected. This normally means that
shapes will be disconnected or undefined in the drawing. No automatic updates will be done
to the database.
Below is a table showing the different checks that are performed during the Consistency
Check operation.

Problem Severity Corrective Explanation


action
Not connected to the ERROR Disconnect The connection number
same point on element in dwg indicated by the shape
in DB connection point differs from
the one get from arrive/
leave attribute.
Not connected to the ERROR Disconnect The element connected to
same element in DB in dwg the shape on the drawing is
not the same as the element
pointed by the database
reference.
Connected shape's ERROR Disconnect The shape is connected on
element does not exist in dwg the drawing to the element
in DB which does not have a
database representation.
Element not connected ERROR Disconnect Similar to the above, the
in DB in dwg shape is connected on the
drawing, but not in the
database.
Illegal connection ERROR Disconnect Occurs when connected
between different line in dwg inline components and
types tubes are placed below
different line types
(Pipelines and
Instrumentation lines).

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Nozzle not related with ERROR Undefine Nozzle is defined in the


an equipment item shapes database under some
equipment, but not
connected to any defined
item on the drawing.
Electrical connection ERROR Undefine Electrical connection is
not related with an shape defined in the database
equipment item under some equipment, but
not connected to any
defined item on the drawing.
Shape is related to a ERROR Undefine The nozzle or electrical
different equipment item shape connection is defined in the
than in the database database under some
equipment, but on the
drawing it is connected to
another item.
The database element ERROR Undefine The shape is defined, but
is missing shape the related database
element is missing.
The database element WARNING None The element in the database
is connected at the is connected, but its
connection point, but representation on the
the shape is not drawing (shape) is not.
Shape has only to/from WARNING None The shape has only 'to' or
flows 'from' connections.
Only X of Y cable WARNING None
members are released
to 3D (performed for
Multi-cables)
SPREF not set WARNING None SPREF of component is not
set (Nulref)
SPREF not of WARNING None SPREF of component is set
SPCOMPONENT type to an element different than
SPCOMPONENT (occurs
when current settings do not
allow out-of-spec
components).
SPREF not set to a valid WARNING None SPREF is set to an invalid
element element (invalid db
reference).
Boresizes does not WARNING None
match (between current
and connected shape)
Widths does not match INFORMATION None
Heights does not match INFORMATION None
Shape do not match INFORMATION None Shapes (OVAL, CIRC,
RECT) of connected shapes
are different (for HVAC).

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Ductsizes/shapes do INFORMATION None Widths, heights or shapes


not match (OVAL, CIRC, RECT) of
connected shapes are
different (for connection
between HVAC elements
and e.g. nozzles.
Boresize not set INFORMATION None Bore size is unset (for piping
and instrumentation).
Ductsize not set Duct size (height or width) is
not set (for HVAC).
Shape not set Shape (OVAL, CIRC,
RECT) is not set (for HVAC).
Shape not connected at INFORMATION None One of connection points is
connection point not connected to any item.
Shape is not defined in INFORMATION None Shape is not defined.
the DB
Shape not connected to INFORMATION None Occurs for OPC's when their
other OPC OPCREF is not set (is not
pointing to other OCP).

There is also a functionality which allows exporting the Message Log and Consistency
Check results to a txt or xls file. This is available in the right click contex menu of the
Message Log and Consistency Check window.

The Consistency Check command can be issued through the following UI commands:
Object pull-down menu
Shape right-click menu (also works on a selection of shapes)
Drawing background right-click menu
A summary of the consistency check result can also be seen in the Message Log. In case
no inconsistencies are detected, the Consistency Check Result pane will not appear.

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4.9.1 Export Consistency Check Result to File


There is functionality to allow the export of a consistency check result. After the consistency
check for a diagram has been executed, right-click on a message in the Message list and
choose the option Export to... .

In the Save As dialogue there is a possibility to choose the export file format to be used,
either text file format or Excel file format.

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4.10 Annotation

4.10.1 Overview
Diagrams supports the standard Visio Shape Text field as well as predefined label shapes.
The users can create their own label shapes, including multi-field labels. When such a label
is dropped on the drawing and connected to a DB element shape, it can display arbitrary
attributes.

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4.10.2 Shape Text


The Visio Shape Text field provides a default annotation that will be presented together
with the shape in the diagram. The initial position of the shape text is automatically
calculated by the application according to text placement settings provided in Diagrams
Options and in Import Shape Wizard (for more information refer to Step 3: Annotation
Style Settings in Chapter Getting Started). After a shape has been placed, the shape text
can be selected and dragged by the mouse to another position.
For connector type shapes such as tubes, ducts and cables, the shape text is automatically
placed and oriented along the longest leg. To be able to move and place the shape text
manually, the Using control handle command has to be enabled. This command is
available on the Shape right-click menu.
The shape text can be turned on or off by right-clicking on a shape and selecting the Show
Text command. This command can also be used after having selected several shapes.
Line breaks in the shape text can be accomplished in two different ways:
By adding a "\n" escape sequence to the text annotation format.
By defining a linebreak character. This is done by assigning a value to the Linebreak
delimiter setting in Diagrams Options.This requires that the attribute data values to be
presented in the text contains such characters at suitable positions, which in essence
means that these characters will be stored inside the text strings in the database. To
enable this kind of linebreaks for a certain shape, the Linebreaks command in the
right-click menu has to be checked.
For pipe tubes and HVAC ducts, there is a possibility to enable a mode where only the
shape text for the first tube/duct in a branch (or rather segment) will be visible, while others

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will be invisible by default. This function can be enabled by setting the Show Text on first
segment only default setting in Diagrams Options to True. However, depending on the
sequence of operations when the branches and segments are built, some extra texts might
be left in the middle of a segment. These can then be manually hidden by using the right
click command.

Wrapping Frame around Shape Text


There is also a possibility to add a frame to the shape text. To do so there is an option to set
in the Diagrams Defaults and Import Shape Wizard as shown below.

This option is available for 2D shapes except for annotating shapes (Label, Multi-label, Title
Block). The option allows the user to determine whether the shape text should be wrapped
with a frame and if so, it is also possible to choose between different frame styles. The text
frame styles are:

Name Description
None No text frame
Rectangle Rectangular frame around text
RoundedRectangle Rectangular frame with rounded corners

The image below illustrates the result of selecting the particular values:

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Note: The colour of the text frame is always the same as the colour of the shape text.

4.10.3 Labels
Shapes for custom labels and multilabels can be created using the Import Shape Wizard.
The annotation strings can be formatted according to the Attribute Presentation Notation
(please refer to Attribute Presentation Notation in Chapter Appendices) in order to present
attribute values from the related shape.
Default labels can also be set up for shapes, so that for instance an equipment shape will
get a number of pre-defined labels when it is dropped on the drawing. This can be done in
the type specific settings in Diagrams Options and can also be overridden in step 3
(Annotation settings) of the Import Shape Wizard in case individual settings are required.
A number of annotation settings are available in Diagrams Options that controls the label
shape to be used for annotation as well as the number of annotation labels that should be
available for each type of item in Import Shape Wizard. These settings can be found under
General Options > Annotation Settings.
Line breaks are supported in the same way for labels as for the Shape Text.

4.10.4 Title Block


Title Block shape can be used to annotate a diagram or template. Its behaviour is similar to
Multi-label, but it can not be connected to any shape - it is displaying the attributes of the
diagram or template. A shape for Title Block can be created using the Import Shape Wizard
and then be dropped on a drawing as any other shape.
Typically the Title Block consists of several fields (grouped shapes) - each of them
representing an attribute:

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Figure 4:33. Sample method of preparing a shape for the Title Block

Similar to other annotation shapes, texts for particular fields can be formatted according to
the Attribute Presentation Notation (please refer to Attribute Presentation Notation in
Chapter Appendices) and line breaks are supported in the same way as for Shape Text.
During importing Title Block, font and colour of text can be defined separately for each field:

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Figure 4:34. Configuration of texts for separate fields of Title Block in the Import Shape Wizard

After dropping the Title Block on to a diagram/template the annotation strings defined for
particular fields are evaluated according to the existing database attributes. Those strings
can be re-defined using the custom properties of a single text field:

Figure 4:35. Sample Title Block - changing annotation string

4.10.5 Property Break Symbol


In the Annotations stencil supplied with Diagrams, there is a Property Break symbol. This
symbol can be dragged to the diagram and attached to a connection point on an inline
fitting. The property break symbol will then show attributes that differ between the elements
at the connection. This can for instance be used to annotate spec breaks. In the example

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below, there are different Pspec (A300 vs. A150) and Ptspec (PS007 vs. PS008) between
the tee and the following tubing.

The attributes that will be shown can be configured using the General Options
>Annotation settings > Property Break settings in Diagrams Options. This setting is
represented by a comma separated list of attributes. Only the attribute values that differ will
be shown.

4.11 Off-page Connectors


Diagrams allows the creation of discontinuous pipelines / HVAClines through the use of an
Off-Page Connector (OPC) mechanism. Even if these are called Off-Page Connectors, they
can also be used within a page.
Two variants of Off-Page Connectors are supported by the application, Outgoing and
Incoming.
Off-Page connectors are created by dragging an OPC shape onto the drawing and
connecting it to a free end of a pipeline branch.

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An outgoing OPC can be connected to an incoming (or vice versa) using the Connect OPC
command in the shape right-click menu.

This command will bring up a Selection dialogue (Standard DB Browse Dialogue) where all
unconnected OPCs of the opposite kind will be listed.

By selecting a matching OPC they will be connected by the OPCREF attribute.

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When examining the database explorer, it can be seen that a new SCSEG element has
been created. The purpose of these administrative elements is to serve as containers for the
parts of a branch that is divided by OPCs.

The shape text shown in the OPC can be controlled by the Attribute Presentation Notation.
Refer to Attribute Presentation Notation in Chapter Appendices for further information. It is
for example possible to show the name of the drawing and the page of the OPC that the
current one is connected to by using the following format:
[opcref.owner.diaref(1)] - Page: [opcref.owner.page(1)].
It is possible to navigate between connected OPCs by using the Go to Connected OPC
command available on the right click menu.

The OPC connections can also be listed and navigated on a diagram level. By right clicking
on a Diagram Element in the database explorer and choosing the Connected Diagrams
command, all diagrams connected to the current one will be listed.

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By clicking on a diagram in the list, this can be opened.

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4.12 Area Shape


An Area Shape provides the possibility to define an area in the diagram drawing that
corresponds to a room or a plant area. However, it does not represent any database
element but provides a general mechanism for assigning attribute values based on the
location of the shape within the frame provided by the Area Shape. Area can control a set of
attributes and their values are automatically applied to the shapes it contains.
Area can be represented by any 2-dimensional shape which is imported on a stencil as Area
Shape using the Import Shape Wizard. After that it can be used as any other item by
dropping it on the drawing. Area Shape can be located on the foreground and background
page.
Because Area does not represent any database element type, initially it does not have any
predefined attribute set. A default set of attributes controlled by Area Shape can be defined
in Diagrams Options in the Attribute Presentation tab by clicking the Referenced
attributes button and then manually keying in the attribute names:

The default set of attributes can be then overridden during Import Shape:

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Any item dragged inside the limits of Area Shape will automatically receive default values
defined in the Area. Any attributes not applicable for a particular type will be skipped. After
the item is dragged out from the Area its attributes controlled by the Area are cleared (set to
default values). In both cases applicable messages are added to the message log.
The behaviour of the application when the user tries to change an attribute controlled by the
Area for an item located in the scope of the Area is determined by the Allow to modify
attributes of contained shapes default setting:

The setting can have the following values:


Ask user the user is warned that the attribute being changed is governed by the
Area and is asked to proceed or not:

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Always allow the change is always allowed without a warning


Never allow the change is not allowed
Please note that changes done directly to the database are not controlled by this setting.
The database can be updated from functions such as the Command Line, Attributes Utility
form, Customer defined PML forms etc.
All differences between attributes controlled by the Area and the corresponding values of
the contained shapes are reported by the Consistency Check function.

4.13 Manual Component Selection

4.13.1 Overview
By using the Catalogue Search function, it is possible to search through the catalogue and
to assign catalogue references to the selected item(s). This is achieved by the following
steps:
1. First select the item(s) in the drawing that should receive the new catalogue reference.
2. Second, make a selection in the Catalogue Search window. The Select command is
available on the right click menus of the explorer and the result list as well as on a
dedicated button in the bottom right of the window.
Manual component selection behaves differently depending on the current setting of the
Use specification default variable as shown below:

General Options - Pipe General Options - Pipe Result


Dimensioning - Spec Search Dimensioning - Spec
- Use Specification Search - Use Specification
Specification Spec selection
True False Manual component selection
can be done for SCOINS,
SCEQUI, SCSUBE, SCCAB,
SCMCAB, SCDUCT and
SCHVFI.
True Manual component selection
can be done for elements listed
above and also for SCINST,
SCTUB, SCVALV and SCFITT.
False Ignored The same as above.

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The Catalogue Search window is divided in two main parts. To the left is a pane that
contains two tabs, Catalogue Explorer and Selection Tables, to the right there is a search
result list.
The Catalogue Search window will automatically navigate to the currently used catalogue
item. This means that when a shape which has a SPREF pointing to a GPART or a
TABITEM is selected in the drawing, the catalogue search will switch to the relevant tab and
navigate to the currently selected catalogue item in the Catalogue Explorer, as well as in the
result list. However, on slow computers this can cause a slight delay when shapes are
selected. If this is the case, this behaviour can be turned off by setting the General options
> Catalogue search settings > Configuration > Auto navigate to catalogue element
setting in Diagrams Options to False.

4.13.2 Catalogue Explorer


By selecting the Catalogue Explorer tab, the user can navigate through the GPART user
defined hierarchy of the catalogue. In case the desired GPART can be identified already in
the explorer, it is possible to right click and choose the Select command to assign the
catalogue reference (SPREF) to the selected item(s) in the drawing. There is also a
possibility to define and use filters to be applied to the search. When the Find button is
clicked, the search result will be displayed in the result list pane to the right.

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In case default filters for shapes have been specified in Diagrams Options or in the Default
Catalogue Search Filter (refer to Step 5: Default Catalogue Search Filter in Chapter
Getting Started), the "== Use default filter from item ==" option will have to be selected for
these to take effect. When a shape associated with a default filter is selected, and the "==
Use default filter from item ==" is applied, as soon as the Find button is clicked, the
associated filter will automatically be applied.

4.13.3 Defining Filters


Below the explorer pane, there is a possibility to define or use filters to be applied to the
search. By clicking the Define Filters link, the Define Filters dialogue is shown.

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To define a new filter, click the New filter button and specify a name.

Below the Select Filter section, there is a Category line. If the Category checkbox is
checked, the filter will include a category selection criteria. This means that when the filter is
used, it will only search within the predefined category. As a default, the currently selected
category in the GPART hierarchy explorer pane will be shown in the category textbox. In
case the user wants to select another category, the Browse button () to the right can be
used. If the Category checkbox is not checked, the filter will be defined as a generic filter,
which can be applied to any category when used.
When filters are used, it works as follows:
If a filter including a category definition is used, the system will first navigate
automatically to the defined category in the explorer and then apply the rest of the filter
and make the search.
If a filter which does not include a category is used, the system will apply the filter to the
category that is currently selected by the user in the explorer.

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Below the category line, a table of criteria statements can be defined for the filter. To add a
new statement, simply click on the Attribute field to display a dropdown list of attributes.
This list contains all attributes that have been defined using the Customize function and
may include attributes from referenced elements.

Next click the Operator field and select an operator. Note that some operators are only
applicable to certain data types, for instance the Like operator can only be applied to text
string attributes.

Finally enter a criteria value in the Value field. When using the Like operator, wildcards can
be specified using the asterisk (*) character.

To add another criteria statement, simply click on the next empty line which was
automatically added when the first criteria statement was defined.
In case more than one statement is used for a filter, there will be an implicit AND operator
applied between statements.
Finally click OK to create the filter and close the dialogue.

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4.13.4 Modifying, Renaming and Deleting Filters


To modify an existing filter, click the Define Filters link to go the Define Filters dialogue.
Then select the filter from the dropdown list and change the criteria statements.
Unnecessary statements can be removed by first selecting the statement in the list and then
clicking the Remove Statement button.
Filters can be modified and removed by using the Rename and Delete buttons for the
selected filter.

4.13.5 Using Filters


To use a filter for a search, select it from the Filter dropdown box, and click the Find button
to perform the search. In case the filter definition includes a category, the explorer will
automatically navigate to this category when the filter is selected, and the search will be
performed accordingly.

Filters are stored in the Windows registry of the local machine.

4.13.6 Selection Tables


Selection Tables (available on the Selection Tables tab in the left pane), can be used to find
catalogue items in a way similar to pipe specifications.

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By making a selection in the Table and Type dropdown boxes and clicking the Find button,
the table on the right hand side will be filled with a relevant selection of catalogue items
represented by TABITE database elements.
If the Auto select table and type from item checkbox is checked, the table and type
dropdowns will automatically be set according to applicable default settings under General
Options > Catalogue Search Settings in Diagrams Options or specified in step 5 of Import
Shape Wizard.
A selection table item can contain default values that will be applied to the shape when the
catalogue reference is set, provided that the Apply default values to item checkbox is
checked. This can be followed up in the Message Log where messages regarding assigned
default attributes is provided.

4.13.7 Result List


When a search has been performed, the result can be seen in the Result List. If the
Catalogue Search tab has been used, the list will contain GPARTs, if Selection Tables
have been used, it will show TABITEs.

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To select a Catalogue Reference from the result list, you can either select the line in the list
and click the Select button, or use the Select command in the right click menu on the item
in the list.
The columns shown in the result list can be changed by clicking the Customise link. This
will show the Catalogue Search Result Presentation Settings dialogue.

Note: The result list for GPARTs will automatically be filtered on the LSELEC attribute. This
has to be true in order for the GPARTs to be shown in the result list.

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In this dialogue, the presentation label can be changed and it can be set up whether the
attribute should be visible or not. By clicking the Referenced Attributes button, attributes
from related elements can be shown. This dialogue works just like the same dialogue used
for Attribute Presentation (refer to Step 4: Attribute Presentation in Chapter Getting Started).
The result list can be presented in three different layouts, in order to provide as much space
for data as possible. By right clicking in the list and selecting Horizontal Layout, Vertical
Layout or Result list only the layout can be changed so that either as many rows and/or
columns as possible can be shown.
In the right click menu, commands are also available for showing or hiding the Grouping
pane, Filters row and Summary line. For more information on how to use the grouping and
filtering functions, please refer to the Getting Started with PDMS documentation.

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4.14 Copying/Pasting Data


Data and arrangements in a diagram can be re-used by using the standard Copy and Paste
commands. When shapes are pasted, equipment items, cable etc. may be defined, while
HVAC branches will not be automatically defined. The user will have to manually issue the
Define or Define Branch (refer to section Define / Undefine) commands afterwards. This
allows a better control over the definition process.
Which attributes to be copied or not copied together with the shape can be set up using the
Attribute Presentation function in Diagrams Options (please refer to Step 4: Attribute
Presentation in Chapter Getting Started).

Note: That this only applies when defined shapes are copied.

Please also see the section on Primary / Secondary Shapes below, as this has relevance to
the behaviour of the Copy/Paste operation.
There is also a possibility to copy and paste several attributes at the same time between
existing shapes. This can be done by using the Copy Attributes and Paste Attributes
commands in the Edit menu. These will copy and paste all attributes that have been defined
as copy with shape in Attribute Presentation. These can be used in the following way:
1. Select a single shape from which the attributes should be copied.
2. Use the Copy Attributes command.
3. Select one or more shapes of the same type as the one that you just copied from.
4. Use the Paste Attributes command.
The result of the paste operation can be followed up in the message log, which will show a
list of the attributes that have been pasted for each shape.

Note: It is the Copy with shape setting for the destination shape which will determine
which attributes will be pasted. The Copy with shape setting for the source shape is
not considered.

Note: The Copy/Paste Attributes function only apply for DB defined attributes.

4.15 Primary / Secondary Shapes

4.15.1 Overview
Diagrams supports a Primary/Secondary shapes concept. This allows a single item in the
database to be represented by several shapes in diagrams. The shapes can exist in the
same page, on another page in the same diagram or on different diagrams. A good example
of this are equipment items to which several systems are connected, such as the main

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engine. Even if the main engine will be represented on all the related systems' diagrams, it
can still be a single item in the database.
In some cases the main responsibility for an equipment item lies with a certain design team
or system design group while it needs to be accessible to other teams for connecting other
systems to it. To support this way of working, shapes can be considered Primary or
Secondary, and different rules and restrictions can be applied to these categories.
The system allows 0-n primary shapes and 0-n secondary shapes for a certain element in
the database. This means that the shapes corresponding to a certain DB element, might be
all primary, all secondary or a mix of primary and secondary.
For instance, if an equipment shape is deleted while keeping the corresponding DB item,
and later a new shape is created referring to the same DB item, the new shape will be
secondary even if no primary shape exists. This kind of situation is not handled
automatically by the system. It is however possible for the user to manually change the
IsPrimary flag.
The Primary/Secondary shape concept can be applied to the following kinds of items:
Equipment
Subequipment
Electrical connection elements
Cables
Multi-cables
Secondary shapes can be created in two main ways:
By changing the name into an already existing name.
By copying and pasting shapes in the drawing.
Note: The usage of Primary/Secondary shapes for certain combinations of main items
having subitems and/or connected cables or pipes involves a complex behaviour and
can give results that were not expected by the user. When using the Primary/
Secondary shapes for such combinations, it is important that the user understands
all implications of his/her actions.

4.15.2 Creating Secondary Shapes by Changing Name


When a shape of one of the above listed types is dropped on to the drawing, a new item will
be created in the database according to the normal Define (Define / Undefine) process. This
shape will automatically be considered a Primary shape.
In case the name of the item is subsequently changed to the same name as another item, a
dialogue will be shown to the user. This behaviour is depending on default settings, please
refer to section Behaviour of Primary/Secondary Shapes.

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In case the user will click OK, the shape will refer the existing item in the database having
the name entered by the user and it will be made into a secondary shape.

The user will then also be asked if the original item created when the shape was dropped
should be deleted from the database, depending on the setting for Primary Shape Delete.
In case the original database item had some subordinate Electrical Connection Elements, a
dialogue will be shown to the user asking if these should be copied to the existing item
having the new name entered by the user. Nozzles are moved rather than copied as they
can not have a secondary representation.
In case the user clicks OK, the subordinate elements will be copied before the original item
is deleted from the database.
If the item has pipe branches connected to it, these will be disconnected before the shape
will be referred to the other DB item. This is necessary in order to avoid inconsistencies
between the drawing and database.
The system also enforces some restrictions on secondary shape handling for hierarchically
subordinate items such as subequipment and electrical connection elements. It is for
instance not allowed to have secondary electrical connection elements referring to a DB
item owned by a different equipment item than the one that the electrical connection
element is connected to on the current drawing. This is described in more detail under
Behaviour of Primary/Secondary Shapes.

4.15.3 Creating Secondary Shapes by Copy/Paste


Secondary shapes can also be created by copying and pasting shapes in or between
drawings. When a shape is being pasted, the system checks if it contains a name of a DB
element and if that DB element already exists, a dialogue will be shown. For electrical
connection elements, no separate dialogue is shown and the response is taken from the
parent equipment item. This behaviour is depending on default settings, please refer to
Behaviour of Primary/Secondary Shapes.

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4.15.4 Viewing and Changing Primary/Secondary Status


The Primary/Secondary status of a shape can be seen by having a look at the
IsPrimaryShape attribute in Shape Data or the Item List. It is also possible to change the
Primary/Secondary status for a certain shape by using the dropdown list.

4.15.5 Behaviour of Primary/Secondary Shapes


A set of default settings available in Diagrams Options controls how primary and secondary
shapes will behave regarding creation, updates of attributes and deletion of the shape.
These can be found under the respective element options. For instance for equipment
items, the settings can be found under Element Options > Equipment Options. The
settings are as follows:

Default setting Value Description


Deleting a primary shape Ask user When a primary shape is deleted, the
system will ask the user if the
corresponding DB element should be
deleted or not.
Always delete When a primary shape is deleted, the
DB item corresponding DB element is always also
deleted without any confirmation or
message to the user.
Never delete When a primary shape is deleted, the
DB item corresponding DB element is never
deleted.
Deleting a secondary Ask user When a secondary shape is deleted, the
shape system will ask the user if the
corresponding DB element should be
deleted or not.
Always delete When a secondary shape is deleted, the
DB item corresponding DB element is always also
deleted without any confirmation or
message to the user.
Never delete When a secondary shape is deleted, the
DB item corresponding DB element is never
deleted.
Modifying attributes of Ask user When an attribute value for a secondary
secondary shape shape is changed, the system will ask the
user if the corresponding DB element
should be updated or not.
Always allow When an attribute value for a secondary
shape is changed, the corresponding DB
element is always also updated without
any confirmation or message to the user.
Never allow When an attribute value for a secondary
shape is changed, the corresponding DB
element is never updated. The user will
receive an error message.

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Creating secondary Ask user When a shape having a name already


shapes on Paste existing in the DB is pasted, the user is
asked whether to create a secondary
shape referring to the same item in the DB
or not.
Always create When a shape having a name already
secondary existing in the DB is pasted, always create
shape a secondary shape referring to the same
item in the DB.
Never create When a shape having a name already
secondary existing in the DB is pasted, blank the
shape name and never create a secondary
shape. A new item will be created in the
DB.
Creating secondary Ask user When the name of a shape is changed to
shapes on Name Change the name of an existing item in the
database, the user is asked whether to
create a secondary shape referring to the
same item in the DB or not.
Always create When the name of a shape is changed to
secondary the name of an existing item in the
shape database, always create a secondary
shape referring to the same item in the DB.
Never create It will not be allowed to change the name
secondary to the same name as an existing item in
shape the database.

There is also certain behaviour related to subitems and connected items. This behaviour is
described in the table below. In case of secondary shape creation through name change,
the DB item that the shape was referring to before it was assigned to another one is referred
to as the Source item. The DB item that the shape will be linked to after the creation is
referred to as the Destination item.

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Method Action Behaviour


Name Changed Creating secondary shapes No special handling. The source
for equipment where the subequipment items will be kept or
source DB item has got deleted with the source item according
subequipment. to the user selection (Delete Yes/No).
Creating secondary shapes The user will be asked whether he/she
for equipment or wants to move the elconns to the
subequipment where the destination equipment item.
source DB item has got
Yes: The system will move the elconns
electrical connection items.
to the destination element without
disconnecting cables.
No: The system will disconnect any
cables connected to the elconns in the
drawing and make the elconns
undefined.

Note: Finally the source equipment


item will be deleted or kept
according to user selection or
default settings. The system
only allows to create secondary
shapes for elconns if parent
(equipment/subequipment) in
DB is the same.
Creating secondary shapes The nozzles will be copied to the
for equipment or destination DB item. The nozzle shapes
subequipment where the will still be primary, as secondary
source DB item has got shapes is not supported for nozzles.
nozzles
Creating secondary shapes Cables are disconnected
for equipment or
subequipment having
connected cables
Creating secondary shapes The pipes will be disconnected
for equipment or
subequipment having
connected pipes
Creating secondary shapes The HVACs will be disconnected
for equipment or
subequipment having
connected HVACs
Creating secondary shapes If the cable is connected, it will be
for cables disconnected.

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Method Action Behaviour


Copy/Paste Creating secondary shapes No special handling. The source
for equipment where the subequipment items will always be
source DB item has got kept.
subequipment.
Creating secondary shapes The electrical connection items will be
for equipment or copied to the destination DB item, and
subequipment where the the electrical connection shapes will be
source DB item has got made secondary shapes.
electrical connection items.
Creating secondary shapes No special action as long as only the
for equipment or equipment shape is copied.
subequipment where the
source DB item has got
nozzles
Creating secondary shapes No special action as long as only the
for equipment or equipment shape is copied.
subequipment where the
source DB item has
connected cables
Creating secondary shapes No special action as long as only the
for equipment or equipment shape is copied.
subequipment having
connected pipes
Creating secondary shapes No special action as long as only the
for equipment or equipment shape is copied.
subequipment having
connected HVACs
Copy/Paste of an elconn A new elconn is always created. When
copying multiple shapes including
equipment items and elconns, the
elconn always inherits the answer from
its parent.
Copy/Paste of multiple When multiple shapes of different kinds
shapes having mixed item are copied and pasted, the system will
types. behave differently depending on the
kinds of items that have been selected.
This is fairly complicated and is
therefore not recommended unless the
user knows exactly what he/she is
doing.
If the user for instance has selected a
few equipment items and a few sub-
equipment items and these items
contain elconns, all elconns will be
added to their parents as primary/
secondary - depending on the answer
from the parent.

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Equipment and Sub-equipment Copy and Paste Summary


The following examples will explain the logic in the function for copying and pasting
equipment and sub-equipment.

Example 1:
The diagram below has got two equipments with sub-equipments. When they are copied
and pasted, the sub equipments will be copied together with the equipment. New database
items will be created for them.

Example 2:
Now the diagram has one equipment with a secondary shape and two sub-equipments.

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When this group of shapes is marked and copied and pasted, the system will ask if new
database items should be created for each shape, or if they should become secondary
shapes. This question is asked for each shape.

If new database items are chosen, the system will create two new equipments, making the
secondary shape become an individual equipment item.

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When creating the database items for the sub equipment, the ownership of the sub
equipment is determined by proximity. In this example, sub equipment Equipment-002-Sub-
001 is owned by Equipment-002 because it is positioned closest to that equipment shape.
For the same reason Equipment-003-Sub-001 is owned by Equipment-003 because it is
closer to that equipment than to Equipment-002.
If both sub equipments are closer to one of the equipment shapes than the other, they will
both be owned by this equipment:

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In this case, both sub equipments are owned by Equipment-002.

4.15.6 Deleting Primary/Secondary Shapes


The system does not include any automatic management of primary/secondary status when
shapes are deleted. This means that if a primary shape is deleted, leaving the DB element,
it can happen that only secondary shapes are left for that item. In case this is not a preferred
situation, one of the secondary shapes will have to be upgraded to a primary by changing
the status of the IsPrimaryShape attribute. In case the DB element has also been deleted,
this will be detected and reported by the consistency check operation for the secondary
shapes.

4.15.7 Finding All Shapes Referring to a Certain DB Element


To find out which drawings contain shapes that references a certain DB element, the Open
Diagram function can be used. This is for instance available by right clicking on the element
in the Schematic Explorer. In case the element only exists on a single drawing, this drawing
will be opened. If it occurs on several drawings, a list will be displayed. When a drawing has
been opened, the Find in Drawing Toolbar can be used to find all instances of the DB
element within that drawing.

4.16 Using Background Drawings


Diagrams relies on the standard Visio function Import CAD Drawing for importing
background drawings. This means that the process is the following:
1. Export the background drawing from Marine Drafting using the Export > DXF
function, having a format that is compatible with the used MS Visio version, for
instance R12 DXF*.
2. Import the drawing using the Insert > CAD Drawing command in Diagrams.
*As the support for drawing formats and versions changes with new releases of
Marine Drafting and MS Visio, it is recommended that the user will make some tests
and investigations using their current program versions to determine which format and
version will provide the best results.
For more information about the Import CAD Drawing function, please refer to the MS Visio
documentation.

4.17 Setting an Initial 3D Position

4.17.1 Overview
Diagrams supports a 3D Position (POS) attribute for relevant schematic database elements.
This position is independent of the 3D position of any related 3D elements. This can be
handled in different ways using the Schematic 3D Integrator. It is for instance possible to
copy the initial 3D position given for the schematic element to the corresponding 3D element
during the build process. Please refer to the Schematic 3D Integrator User Guide for more
details.

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4.18 Changing Symbols for Existing Items

4.18.1 Overview
Diagrams supports exchanging a placed and connected symbol with another symbol. All
attributes and connections will be retained. This can be done either manually by the user or
automatically by fetching a shape reference from the catalogue.
The reason that this function is called Replace Symbol rather than Replace Shape which
would be the standard MS Visio terminology, is that it will only replace the visual appearance
of the shape, and will not apply to all attributes, default values etc.

4.18.2 Manual Replacing of Symbol


By selecting one or more shapes and using the Replace Symbol command on the right
click menu, the symbol can be manually replaced. This will bring up a dialogue where a new
shape can be selected.

In the treeview to the left, all open stencils are shown. In the right hand pane all shapes for
the selected stencil can be seen. Select one of these and click the Replace button to make

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the change. In case the dialogue should remain open, use the Apply button instead. The
Reset button will restore the original symbol(s).
If the selected shape is not of the same type or has too few connections, an error message
will be shown and the symbol will not be replaced.

4.18.3 Automatic Replacing of Symbol


When the catalogue reference for an item is set or changed, the application can
automatically replace the symbol using a symbol reference from the catalogue. This can for
instance be applied when a generic shape has been used from the beginning, and when at
a later time in the process the catalogue reference is set. Then a more specific symbol can
be fetched from the catalogue, given that the catalogue item includes a shape reference.
The shape reference in the catalogue can be set using the Symbol Group and Symbol
Name fields in Paragon. Symbol Group should contain the name of the stencil and Symbol
Name should be the name of the shape within the stencil.

Figure 4:36. Catalogue symbol reference in Paragon

The way that the automatic symbol replacement works is controlled by some default
settings in Diagrams Options (Defaults in Chapter Getting Started):

Default setting Value Description


Auto replace shape from Yes When the catalogue reference is set or
catalogue changed, the application will check if the
referenced catalogue item has a shape
reference. If it has, the shape will automatically
be replaced with one referenced from the
catalogue.
No When the catalogue reference is set or
changed, the application will not attempt to
replace the shape from the catalogue.
Ask User When the catalogue reference is set or
changed, the application will check if the
referenced catalogue item has a shape
reference. If it has, the system will ask the user
if the shape should be replaced.

In addition to this, there is also a setting for Auto replace manually replaced shapes. This
can have the same values as described above for the Auto replace shape from catalogue,

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with the difference that it only applies to shapes that the user has previously exchanged
manually. This basically provides a way to disallow any automatic changes to shapes that
the user has manually replaced.

4.18.4 Replace Symbol from Catalogue


By using the Replace Symbol from Catalogue command available on the shape right click
menu, the current symbol will be replaced with the one stored in the catalogue. This can be
useful in the following cases:
The item has received a new catalogue reference outside the control of the Diagrams
application and the symbol has therefore not been updated accordingly.
The user has manually replaced a symbol and now wants to return to the symbol
provided by the catalogue.
The catalogue has been updated with new symbol references and the diagram should
reflect this change.

4.19 Setting System Reference


In some cases the user might want to override the System reference inherited from the
pipeline for a particular valve or fitting. In this case the Set System Reference command
available on the shape right-click menu can be used. This will bring up a dialogue where the
system reference can be set or updated. This dialogue can also be used for setting the
system reference(s) for equipment items and cables.

One item can be a member of multiple systems. To add a reference to a System, click the
button, which will bring up a dialogue where the system hierarchy can be browsed and
a system selected.

To remove a system reference, select it in the list and click the button.

In the list you can also see the system reference of the parent Pipeline / HVACline for
applicable items as a greyed out system name at the top of the list. This is not shown for

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cables or equipment items, as there is no hierarchically superior element in the database


that has a system reference.

4.20 Naming

4.20.1 Overview
Diagrams includes a possibility for automatic naming and re-naming of database elements.
This is primarily accomplished through the standard PDMS Autonaming function. In
addition to this, there are also functions to rename elements based on their position in the
diagram layout.

4.20.2 Autonaming

Naming Rules
To set up naming rules to be automatically applied when DB elements are created, use the
Tools > Other Options > Naming function. Please refer to the Data Management and Data
Base / Administrator User Guide for more information about this. The autonaming only
works when no name has been given at the time the element is created. If for instance the
Prompt on drop (Prompting the User to Enter a Name) facility is used to prompt the user for
a name, the autonaming will not be activated (unless the user does not enter any name).

Autoname CE
The naming can also be manually triggered by using the Autoname CE function available
under Object > Naming > Autoname CE menu item, or from the Naming toolbar.

Note: That this only works in case the element is not already named.

Autoname CE and Offspring


The Autoname CE and Offspring function is the same as the Autoname CE, but it will
also autoname any unnamed off springs of CE.

Autoname Offspring Only


The Autoname Offspring Only function should be used for auto naming any unnamed off
springs of CE, but not CE itself.

4.20.3 Auto Renaming


In addition to the autonaming, it is also possible to autorename elements. These functions
works more or less in the way that the current name is first removed and then a new
autoname is applied.

Auto Rename CE
This function will autoname the current element according to the current Naming Option,
after first removing the current name. The function is available under Object > Naming >
Auto Rename CE in the main menu or on the Naming toolbar.

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Auto Rename CE and Offspring


Works the same way as Auto Rename CE, but it will also auto rename any off springs of CE.
The function is available under Object > Naming > Auto Rename CE and Offspring in the
main menu or on the Naming toolbar.

Auto Rename Offspring Only


This function will auto rename any offsprings of CE, but not CE itself.

4.20.4 Rename Elements


This function works on the current selection in the diagram, and can rename the elements
based on their position in the diagram layout. Typically the user can select elements of a
certain type (i.e. valves, cables etc.) and rename them according to their position.

Name Option
Choose whether the names should be regenerated, re-ordered ascending or re-ordered
descending.
Regenerating the names will first remove the names of the selected elements and then the
autoname function will be applied to the selected elements. Re-order names will keep the
names of the selected elements and re-order them alphanumerically.

Point of Comparison
Choose which point of the shape that should be used for deciding the order. Typically this
setting is used in conjunction with function Sort Options Horizontally and Vertically.

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Sort Option:

Horizontally This will consider the X position of the shapes first.


Vertically This will consider the Y position of the shapes first.
Selected Order This will rename in the order that the shapes where
selected.
Reversed Selected Order This will rename in the reverse order that the shapes where
selected.
Chain (cables only) This will rename cables in a chain style, starting with the
selected cable traversing downstream via connected
equipments/elconns. Before using this option, the user must
first have selected a single cable at the start of the chain. If
more than one cable is selected, the rename chain option
will be disabled. It will also only propagate downstream if
there is exactly one incoming and one outgoing cable at
each connection. Typically this feature can be used for
naming continuous circuits like lighting, fire alarms etc.

4.20.5 Prompting the User to Enter a Name


By using the Attribute Presentation settings (please refer to Attribute Presentation in
Chapter Getting Started), it is possible to make the application prompt the user for attribute
values as a shape is being dropped on the drawing. In case the NAME attribute is used for
prompting, a special functionality is invoked. In case an element with the same name
already exists in the DB, the user will be presented with a dialogue where it is possible to re-
enter the name, create a Secondary shape (Creating Secondary Shapes by Copy/Paste), if
this is enabled, or to create the new item anyway, but with a blank name.

4.21 Highlighting
The application includes a number of ways to highlight shapes in the drawing. Some
examples of these are the right-click menu in the Schematic and System Explorers, the
Find in Drawing toolbar, during automatic dimensioning/spec search etc.
In the case that the application will not automatically reset the highlight, it can be reset by
using the Reset Highlight function. This is available in the main application Object menu
as well as in the Object toolbar. In addition to this, the F7 key on the keyboard can be used.
The highlight colour and linewidth can be configured by changing some default settings in
Diagrams Options (refer to section Defaults):

Default setting Value Description


Highlight colour Colour (default is Red Colour to be used when highlighting
colour)
Line width multiplier Multiplier factor The multiplier to be applied to the line
width when highlighting. This is only
relevant when Enable auto line width is
False.
Enable auto line True / False Automatically adjust the line width to the
width current zoom level when highlighting is
done.

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Auto line width Line width The line width in approx points to be
applied when Enable auto line width is
True.
Apply auto line width True / False Automatically adjust the line width when
on zoom operation the zoom level is changed. This can be
set to False if the performance of the
zoom operation degrades on large
drawings.
Keep highlight after True / False If True, changed component will be kept
dimensioning highlighted after resize / refit operations.
operation.

4.22 Importing/Exporting Drawings, Stencils and


Templates
The File > Import function can be used to open Visio drawings which are not created
through the Diagrams application and are therefore not represented by index elements in
the database. Likewise, to export an existing drawing or to save a newly created Visio
drawing to a file without creating an index element in the database, the export function can
be used.

The Diagrams Import and Export functions are basically the same as the standard MS
Visio Open and Save As functions, and also supports importing/exporting other formats,
such as DXF etc. Please refer to the MS Visio documentation for further information on how
these functions operate. For Export and Save As there might for instance be some
differences in what kinds of information can be exported to different formats, as well as if the
function will export the whole diagram or only the current page.
Please note that the Import Drawing function only opens a Visio drawing stored in the file
system and does not import related data to the database.

4.23 Importing and Exporting Data to the DB

4.23.1 Import
The Tools > Utilities > Spreadsheet Import command provides a possibility to import data
to the schematic database from .CSV and .XLS format files. Please refer to the Data
Management and Data Base / Database Management Reference Manual for a description
of how to use it.

4.23.2 Export
Ref till ny funktionalitet Chris

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The Item List includes a facility for exporting data to a spreadsheet file. By right clicking on
the table and selecting Export to SpreadSheet the contents of the currently selected tab
will be exported to an .XLS file. The file can be saved in a location selected by the user
through a standard File > Save As dialogue.

Note: DB data can also be exported in the same way from the Search Result grid. When
doing that, the scope of data will not be limited to the current diagram.

4.24 Undo and Redo


The standard Visio Undo and Redo commands are available in Diagrams. These can be
fully used for Visio functions and operations that are not affecting the database, for instance
undoing the move of a shape in a drawing etc.

Note: The Undo/Redo command supplied via Visio is not connected to the Undo/Redo
functionality presented by the database. If any database actions have been carried
out as a result of the previous Visio command, then the Undo buffer will be emptied
to assure consistency between the diagrams and database.

Also, pure Diagrams functions such as Refresh, Resize, Refit etc. are not possible to
Undo/Redo.

4.25 Working with Units


The Diagrams application supports the usage of values with units. All relevant attribute
values are displayed in accordance with the project settings for units.
Independent of the current settings for units presentation the user has the possibility to set
attribute values or fill in forms with values in any units. For instance if a bore diameters are
set to be presented in imperial units all bore diameters will be presented in inches. However,
this does not limit the usage of values in metric units, 24.5mm, to set attributes. In cases
when other then the relevant units are used the application will try to interpret the value
entered.
To be able to properly display units in a shape annotation, a unit aware attribute must be
referred to in the Text shape property.
Some cases when units are used include, but are not limited to, distances, bore diameters,
positions.

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For changing the current units settings, please refer to documentation for Administration of
AVEVA Marine Environment.

Examples:

Figure 4:37. Tee annotation using PPBO(1) annotation to provide units aware values

Figure 4:38. Reducer with Text value referring to ABOR, LBOR

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5 Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs)

The chapter covers the special functions and procedures for the Piping discipline and is of
special interest to users creating Piping and Instrumentation diagrams.

5.1 Overview
The Diagrams application supports the creation of piping diagrams. This includes features
such as automatic management of the logical pipe model, dimensioning and automatic
specification search for components.
To create P&IDs, the P&ID mode should be used. This can be selected in the Tools > Mode
menu.

5.2 Creating Pipelines


Pipelines can be created using the Tools > Create Pipeline command.

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When the Create Pipeline dialogue is opened, a number of attributes will have values pre-
set as follows. These are just default values and can be changed by the user.
Group will be set from the default group settings available in the Status Bar.
Primary System will be set from current system setting available in the Status Bar.
Pipe Specification will be set from the default value of the Primary system.
Insulation Specification will be set from the default value of the Primary system.
Tracing Specification will be set from the default value of the Primary system.
Fluid will be set from the default value of the Primary system.
The Type dropdown box will allow the user to create pipelines using derived UDET types.
The pipeline name can be automatically constructed by using the Autonaming function. In
order to provide feedback on the autonaming while the dialogue is open, a pipeline element
is actually created as the dialogue is opened. In case the user clicks Cancel, this pipeline
element will be removed again.
The pipeline will be created in the selected group (SCGROU) in the main hierarchy of the
schematic database.
It is also possible to move pipelines between schematic groups either by changing the
Group in the Pipeline Properties dialogue, or by using the Cut and Paste commands in
the Schematic Explorer.

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Note: That it is also possible to create pipelines by dropping a Pipeline shape onto the
drawing. This works more or less like a Branch shape with the difference that it also
creates a new pipeline (the Create Pipeline dialogue is automatically shown when
the pipeline shape is dropped onto the drawing). Pipeline shapes can be created by
using the Import Shape Wizard. See chapter Getting Started for further information.

5.3 Pipeline Properties


After a pipeline has been created, its properties can be viewed and changed by using the
Pipeline Properties command. This command is available through the right click menu in
the Explorer on pipelines and their members, as well as through the right click menu for
Inline Fittings in the drawing.
In case any branches have been created on diagram drawings, the dialogue will now also
show an additional tab, Diagram references, which contains a list of all diagrams/pages
that the pipeline is represented on.

5.4 Creating Branches


Before a branch can be created, the Current Pipeline must be selected. The Current
Pipeline can be viewed in the Status bar (please refer to Status Bar in Chapter Working with
Diagrams). To change the Current Pipeline, you can either select the pipeline or any item
below it in the explorer, or you can select a tube, a duct or an inline fitting in the drawing
which belongs to the desired pipeline.
Pipeline branches are then created by dragging and dropping a branch shape onto the
drawing area. The branch will be added to the Current Pipeline.
In addition to the branch element, the application will also create a Segment Element and a
Tube Element.

The purpose of the Segment Element is to provide a way to divide branches between
several pages or drawings using Off-page Connectors (please refer to Off-page Connectors
in Chapter Working with Diagrams). All in-line fittings in a branch belonging to a certain
drawing page will be grouped under the same segment in the hierarchy.
The tube element will be related with the tube shape in the drawing which was created when
the branch shape was dropped. In case UDETs are used, there is a possibility in the Import
Shape Wizard (refer to Import Shape Wizard in Chapter Getting Started) to set up which
UDET type of tube should be created when the shape is dropped (Denote to).
It is possible to move branches between pipelines by using the Cut and Paste commands in
the Schematic Explorer. However, please note that this will not re-apply any default values,
like pipe spec etc., from the receiving pipeline to the branch or its members.
In Diagrams Options > Element Options > Fitting Options > Default Options, the setting
Auto create branch on connect Tee will automatically add a new branch shape when a
Tee is dropped into a line.

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Also, in Diagrams Options > Element Options > Fitting Options > Default Options, the
setting Auto create Tee on connect branch will automatically add a new Tee shape when
branches are connected.

5.5 Adding Parts to a Branch

5.5.1 Overview
Valves, fittings and inline instruments can be members of a branch and are all considered
inline parts. These can be created by dragging and dropping shapes from the stencil onto
the drawing area. Inline parts can be added to a branch in different ways.

5.5.2 Arrive and Leave


Inline parts with 2 or more connections are using the Arrive and Leave attributes to relate
the main flow (design) direction to the connection points on the shape. When a shape is
created using MS Visio tools and subsequently added to a stencil using the Import Shape
Wizard, it is important that the connection points are added in the correct sequence. The
point added first will by default be related to Arrive, and the second will be related to Leave.
This can be seen as the default value of Arrive is 1 (referring to the first point) and Leave is
2 (referring to the second point).

Note: If the values of Arrive and Leave are changed, this will affect the applications
perception of what is the main flow, and therefore cause inconsistencies if not
properly applied.

5.5.3 Dropping and Connecting


When a shape is dragged and dropped onto the drawing, it will respond differently
depending on where it is dropped:
1. Dropped onto an empty space in the drawing: The shape will not be defined (refer to
Define / Undefine in Chapter Working with Diagrams) until it is subsequently connected
to a member of a branch.
2. Dropped onto a tube shape: The tube will be divided into two and the dropped shape
will be inserted in between and defined (Define / Undefine) in the database.
Note: This only happens if the connections points related with Arrive and Leave (point 1
and 2 in the shape) will both be in line with the tube shape. Also, Arrive and Leave
will if necessary also be automatically switched so that they will be consistent with
the flow direction of the branch that the shape is dropped into.

Note: If the connector has more than one angle and the connector style is set to Reroute
Freely, then each time when the user is trying to drop something on that connector
the line is immediately rerouted, avoiding the dropped shape. This is an MS Visio
behaviour that unfortunately cannot be changed by AVEVA. To prevent connector
reroute during that operation the user has to set the reroute style to Reroute on
Crossover or Never Reroute using the Layout & Routing toolbar.

3. Dropped onto a free end of a tube shape: By aligning one of the connection points of
the part and a free end of a tube when the shape is dropped, they will be connected
and the shape will be defined (Define / Undefine) and added to the branch.
When an inline component is connected to a branch, the Arrive and Leave will automatically
be set to follow the flow of the branch. However, the visual appearance of the shape will not

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be changed. There are two ways to make sure that the shape gets the right direction in the
branch:
1. Drop the shape onto an empty area of the drawing, and use the rotation handle to
properly align it with the branch it should be connected to. Then connect it to the
branch end or drag it over a tube to insert it.
2. Drop the shape into the branch (connect or split on drop), and if it gets the incorrect
orientation, use the Reverse Direction command.
When connecting a branch/tube to an item (valve, inline fitting, equipment, nozzle etc.),
which is a grouped shape, the connection points must be on the group and not on the
members of the group. Otherwise the connection operation will fail and the message Not a
valid pipe piece and/or pipe connection is shown.
It is not possible to directly connect tube/branch shapes to each other, a Visio 2D shape is
required in between. For example, to connect one branch to another, a fitting such as a Tee,
Olet or Coupling must be inserted, and the branches connected to this.

5.5.4 Automatic Tee Insertion

General
Automatic Tee insertion provides the possibility to automatically insert a Tee every time two
branches are connected by the user. At the branches connection point a predefined Tee
shape is inserted. If there is any specification or dimensioning conflicts the appropriate
dimensioning and size selection dialogs are presented to the user.

Activation and Options


The Automatic Tee Insertion function can be turned on or off in the Diagrams Options
dialog.
All related options can be found in the Element options > Fitting options section.

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Figure 5:1. Activation of Automatic Tee Insertion in Diagrams options dialog

In the options dialog it is also possible to select the shape of the Tee to be automatically
inserted on connection of two branches, as well as from which stencil this shape should be
taken.
The option for Auto create Tee on connect branch is by default set to False.
It is left to the user to make sure that the Tee's shape name and stencil exist and are valid. If
a Tee with a chosen shape name is not found or a stencil with a chosen name is not found
errors will be generated.

Using Automatic Tee Insertion


The usage of the Automatic Tee Insertion function is as the title suggest automatic. Every
time two branches are connected, that usually involves one branch that is dragged (either
an end point of it or the branch as a whole) and one that is stationary. When the dragged
branch is released the Tee shape specified in the Diagrams Options is dropped over the
stationary branch with the branching connector pointing towards the dragged branch. The
dropped Tee splits the stationary branch as if the Tee was dropped by the user and the
branching connector of the Tee is connected to the dragged branch. Thus completing the
process of connecting two branches with a Tee.
If there are any specification conflicts or dimensioning variations that cannot be chosen by
the system, a choose size dialog will be presented to promt the user and resolve these
variations.

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Below is shown an automatically inserted tee when one branch is dragged to another one.
The result is as if the tee was placed over the static branch and then the dragged branch
connected to it.

Figure 5:2. The branch is dragged to the one that is stationary

Figure 5:3. The Tee is connected

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5.5.5 Using Tube Shapes


Valves, fittings and instruments are normally connected by tube elements. These can be
created by dragging and dropping in a similar manner as the parts described above. Tubes
are represented by Visio connector shapes, while all other inline parts are represented by
Visio 2D shapes. Please refer to the MS Visio documentation for more information about the
behaviour of connector shapes and 2D shapes.
The main difference between a branch shape and a tube shape is that while the branch will
create branch, segment and tube elements in one go, the tube will only create the tube
element and can thereby be used to extend an existing branch.

5.5.6 Connecting Fittings without a Tube in between


It is also possible to connect several inline parts in a sequence without having a tube in
between. This can for instance be used to attach a reducer directly to a valve, or to create a
sequence of valves without intermediate tubing. To achieve this, follow these steps:
1. Drag and drop the inline part to the drawing area.
2. Select the Visio Connection Point tool (available on the dropdown by the Connector
tool in the Standard toolbar).
3. Right-click on the connection point that you will be using to connect the new shape to
the existing one.
4. Select Outward from the right-click menu.
5. Change back to the Pointer tool (available in the Standard toolbar or press F8).
6. Position the mouse pointer close to the connection point that was just modified.

Important: If the mouse pointer is closer to another connection point or to the centre point
of the shape as the shape is dragged, it will not be possible to connect.

7. Drag the shape so that the connection point aligns with the connection point of the
existing shape.

5.6 Flow Direction


One of the branchs characteristics is its flow direction. In the database flow it is determined
by the order of tubes and components below the segments and the sequence of the OPCO/
OPCI connections between the segments. In a correctly designed branch all its segments
should be allowed to become traversed trough their OPCs. On the drawing the flow
determines the layout of connectors and the logic of the connecting components (the
incoming and outgoing connection should correspond with the arrive and leave connection
number set in the database).

5.6.1 The Flow Direction Symbol


The Flow Direction symbol can be used for a graphical indication of the flow of a branch on
a drawing. When dropped on top of a tube or duct shape, the flow direction symbol
automatically aligns with the current flow and it reacts on the connectors moving or re-
sizing. It is also automatically adjusted on the reversing of the flow direction. The flow
direction symbol can be created using Import Shape Wizard and then dropped from the
stencil as any other shape. To achieve proper behaviour it is important that before the
symbol is imported its orientation corresponds with default flow direction going horizontally

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form left to right. The shape should also have one outwards connection point which will be
used to attach to the connector.

Figure 5:4. Creation of sample flow direction symbol

It is possible to define a flow direction symbol that is automatically attached to a dropped


piping or HVAC connector. This can be achieved using the default settings or in the Import
Shape Wizard by specifying a stencil and a name of the flow direction symbol to be
automatically dropped.

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Figure 5:5. Definition of default flow direction symbol for pipe connectors

5.6.2 Directional Components


Inline parts can be defined as directional components. This means that the shape will
always be adjusted to the flow of the branch. When such a shape is inserted into the tube,
the application will check if its orientation is corresponding to the main flow and
automatically reverse the direction of the component if needed. Such shapes can be used
e.g. to represent non-returning valves.
To create a directional component the following actions are required:
draw the Visio shape which is going to represent the component and make sure its
arrive and leave (first and second) connection points are aligned with the default flow
which goes horizontally from left to right
import the shape as desired inline component and in Step 1 of the Import Shape
Wizard tick the Directional component option.

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5.6.3 Reversing Flow Direction for a Whole Branch


Diagrams application provides functionality to reverse flow direction of a branch. The
command is accessible from main menu of from context menu for any branch components:

After the command is issued all necessary changes will be done to branch hierarchy in
database and its representation on current drawing is changed to fit reversed flow. The
changes done to database are following:

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Order of elements below all segments belonging to the branch is reversed.


All OPCO elements are changed to OPCI and the other way round. As a result of that
sequence of connections between segments belonging to the branch is reversed.
All OPC connections referring to other branches are disconnected.
Arrive and Leave attributes of all components below segments (except OPC elements)
are switched.
TREF/HREF attributes of branch and segments below it are adjusted accordingly to
new flow direction.
Corresponding changes done to shapes on current drawing are:
Start/end of tube shapes is reversed.
Type of OPCO shapes is changed to OPCI (and OPCI to OPCO), but the shapes are
not replaced.
Directional components (e.g. non-return valves) are reversed and their connection
points are changed to fit Arrive and Leave attributes in database. The other
components are not changed.
Note: If the directional component has branching connection it may not be possible to
restore the connection after reverse. In such situation the branching point will be
disconnected on drawing and in database with appropriate message in message log.

In case branch is located on several drawings, user is prompted to automatically update


shapes on other drawings as well.

If other drawings containing parts of reversed branch are not updated (user answered No
to above question or it was impossible to edit the drawings e.g. because they were claimed
by another user) there is inconsistency between the drawings and database data. Such
inconsistencies are detected and fixed on opening drawing and by Consistency Check.

5.7 Using Equipment and Subequipment


Equipment items can be created by dragging and dropping equipment shapes from the
stencil to the drawing area. The application includes support for Primary and Secondary
equipment items (refer to Primary / Secondary Shapes), meaning that a single equipment
item in the database can be represented by two or more shapes on the same or on different
drawings. For an equipment to be defined on drop, it is required that a default Group is set
up in the Default Groups dialogue that can be reached from the Status Bar.
Subequipment items can also be created by dragging and dropping a subequipment shape
from a stencil onto the drawing. However, for the subequipment shape to be defined in the
database, it is required the equipment item to which is should belong is currently selected
when the drop takes place.

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It is possible to add more connection points after an equipment, or sub-equipment, item is


dropped onto the drawing. To achieve this, select the Visio Connection Point tool and
Ctrl+Click to add points.

Sub-equipment items are not dependent on their parent equipment item being represented
on the same diagram. It is allowed to have the main equipment item on one diagram and the
subequipment item on another diagram, even if they are hierarchically linked in the
database. Likewise, when and if they appear on the same diagram, there are no layout
restrictions in terms of them having to be connected or close to each other in any way.

5.8 Using Nozzles


Nozzle shapes can be added to equipment items by dragging and dropping onto an
equipment item. They can be attached to a connection point on the equipment item (Glue to
connection point) or just to the geometry (Snap to Geometry). Nozzle items will then be
created under the equipment item in the DB. In case a nozzle shape is not connected to an
equipment item on drop, it can be connected later, but it will not be defined in the database
until it is connected to an equipment item.

Note: When dragging a nozzle to connect to an equipment item, it is important that the
mouse pointer is close to the connection point on the nozzle that you want to connect
to it. Otherwise Visio will not find the correct connection.

The nozzle specification can be set by right-clicking on the nozzle shape and selecting the
Nozzle Specification command. This will bring up the Nozzle Specification dialogue.

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In the Nozzle Specification dialogue, the Specification, Generic Type and Nominal bore
can be selected, and this will result in a specification reference. When the OK button is
clicked, the specification reference will be updated in the CATREF attribute of the nozzle.
Branches can now be created and connected to the nozzle.

5.9 Using Pipe Destination elements


For pipes that end without any connection to an equipment item, Pipe Destination elements
can be used. A Pipe Destination shape can be attached to the end of a branch, and can
contain a description of the nature of the branch end. This can for instance be Vent to
atmosphere, Overboard discharge etc.
Pipe Destination elements will also remove unnecessary information messages from the
consistency check result, such that the end of a branch is unconnected.
Pipe Destination shapes can be created using the Import Shape Wizard.

5.10 Grouped Shapes


It is possible to group together several shapes into a unit that can be added to a stencil. To
achieve this, start by building up the arrangement in the drawing in the normal way. Then
select the shapes that should form the group, undefine them (Define / Undefine in Chapter
Working with Diagrams), and drag them to the stencil. They will then be grouped
automatically.

Figure 5:6. Example of a group of shapes

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This group can then be dragged and dropped onto a drawing, thereby adding an
arrangement of branches and inline fittings in a single operation. In case the arrangement
contains more than one branch, the user will have to select a part in each branch and issue
the Define branch command (Define / Undefine in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

Note: When a group of shapes is added to the drawing in the way described above, it is
recommended to ungroup it (Right click > Shape > Ungroup) before proceeding to
connect or modify. If this is not done, it can result in unexpected behaviour. For
instance that a tube within the group will not split into two when a new fitting is
dropped onto it.

5.11 Online Dimensioning and Specification Search

5.11.1 Overview
The Diagrams application supports a flexible approach to the handling of dimensioning and
spec search. The following levels of automation are supported:
No dimensioning.
Dimensioning without catalogue or spec search.
Dimensioning with manual catalogue selection.
Dimensioning with automatic spec search.
These methods can also be combined in various ways and allows for an incremental/
iterative workflow. It is for instance possible to start a diagram using dimensioning but no
catalogue or spec search. At a later time when a catalogue and specification has been
established, the spec search can be enabled and the selection of components be done
based on the previously entered dimensions.
If the automatic spec search is enabled, the manual catalogue search can not be done for
in-line parts, please refer to Manual Component Selection in Chapter Working with
Diagrams for more information about the Catalogue Search window.
The dimensioning is using the concepts of Fit and Size operations:
Refit means that the current component will obtain a new size from the upstream
component. When this will occur automatically, it is called Autofit.
Resize means that the user will manually select a new size to be applied to the
component. This only applies to branching and size-changing components such as
tees and reducers.
The dimensioning can work with varying degrees of propagation of dimension changes.
Propagation will always occur in a downstream direction (from head to tail).
There are a number of default settings in Diagrams Options under General Options > Pipe
Dimensioning that control the way that the dimension and spec search is operating (please
refer to Defaults in Chapter Getting Started):

Default setting Value Description


Refit - Autofit on connect True The component will automatically obtain
the dimension from the upstream
component when connecting.
False The component will not obtain any
dimension from the upstream component
when connecting.

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Refit - Autofit on delete True The component following the one that is
being deleted will automatically obtain the
dimension from the upstream component.
False The component following the one that is
being deleted will not obtain any dimension
from the upstream component.
Refit - Propagate autofit True Autofit should be propagated to
downstream components.
False Autofit should not be propagated to
downstream components.
Refit - Propagate at segment True Autofit propagation will continue over
segment limits.
False Autofit propagation will not continue over
segment limits.
Refit - Propagate at branch True Autofit propagation will continue over
branch limits.
False Autofit propagation will not continue over
branch limits.
Resize - Propagate at segment True Resize propagation will continue over
segment limits.
False Resize propagation will not continue over
segment limits.
Resize - Propagate at branch True Resize propagation will continue over
branch limits.
False Resize propagation will not continue over
branch limits.
Spec Search - Use Specification True The specification search will be used.
False The specification will not be used.
Dimensioning will be stored locally in each
inline part using the BOREARRAY attribute.
Spec Search - Allow out-of-spec True SPRE of tubes and inline components can
selection be set to GPART or SCOM rather than to
SPCOMPONENT.
False SPRE attribute of tubes and inline
components can be set only to
SPCOMPONENT.

Note: This setting has no effect when Use


Specification is set to False.
Spec Search - Autoselect on True Specification search and component
define selection will be triggered when a shape is
defined.
False No spec search and automatic component
selection will be done when a shape is
defined.
Spec Search - Ignore defaults in True No selection of the first found SELE/SPCO
specification member when TDefault of the SELE is set
to EQUA.

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5.11.2 No Dimensioning
To create a piping diagram without any dimensioning, all the settings described in the table
above should be set to False.

5.11.3 Dimensioning without Catalogue or Spec Search


If the Spec Search > Use Specification default setting is set to False, the specification will
not be used and all dimensioning will be handled through the BOREARRAY attribute on the
parts.
When a new branch is created, the boresize will be picked up from the default bore size that
is set up in the current pipeline.
When inline parts such as valves, reducers etc. are dropped into a branch, the bore will be
picked up from the upstream component.
In case a size-changing or branching component will be dropped, the system will prompt the
user for a Leave bore? or Branching bore?. In all other cases the system will automatically
pick up the bore size from the element it will be connected to.

Figure 5:7. The bore-question dialogue.

The Resize and Refit operations and related propagation settings operates in the same way
for dimensioning with or without spec search.

5.11.4 Dimensioning with Manual Catalogue Selection


When the Spec Search > Use Specification default setting is set to False, it is possible to
manually select components from the catalogue for inline parts using the Catalogue Search
function (see Catalogue Search in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

5.11.5 Dimensioning with Automatic Spec Search


To use the automatic spec search, the Spec Search > Use Specification default setting
must be set to True.
A default pipe specification for a pipeline can be set up in the Create Pipeline dialogue
when the pipeline is created.

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The pipe specification works as a default value that is propagated to subordinate elements
such as branches and inline parts as these are created within the pipeline. It is possible to
subsequently change the specification reference for an individual fitting through the Custom
Properties window or Item List.
If the pipe spec is later changed in the pipeline properties dialogue, it will not affect existing
inline parts within the pipeline, it will only be applied to new inline parts as they are added.
When a new branch is created, the boresize will be picked up from the default bore size that
is set up in the current pipeline.
When inline parts such as valves, reducers etc. are dropped into a branch, the bore will be
picked up from the upstream component and a specification search will be performed,
provided that the Autoselect on Define default setting is set to True in Diagrams Options.

Figure 5:8. Before valve is dropped

Figure 5:9. After valve is dropped. The specification reference can be seen in the shape text, as this
has been set up to show [SPRE.NAME].

In case a size-changing or branching component will be dropped, the system will prompt the
user for a Leave bore? or Branching bore?. In all other cases the system will automatically
pick up the bore size from the element it will be connected to.

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The Bore-question dialogue will present a dropdown list of valid boresizes picked up from
the specification. In case a user will type in a bore size that does not match any of these, the
application will round it up to the next defined bore size.
The result of the specification search will be that the specification reference (SPREF) will
point to the matching SPCO element. In case no matching SPCO will be found, the SPREF
will not be set.
The operation of the spec search is highly dependant on how the spec is organized in terms
of the hierarchy of questions and answers. In case the spec search will not find the expected
SPCO, please review the structure of the spec and modify if necessary.

The progress of the spec search is also presented in the Message Log window (refer to
Message Log in Chapter Working with Diagrams). Successful spec search operations are
logged as informational messages, while unsuccessful ones are logged as warnings.

All elements affected by an automatic spec search can also be left highlighted, depending
on the value of the Keep highlight after dimensioning default setting.

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Note: When the automatic spec search is enabled, it is not possible to manually set
catalogue references for the inline parts using the Catalogue Search function
(please refer to Catalogue Search in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

5.11.6 Respec
Changing the specification of existing pipework can be done by first selecting all relevant
inline parts and then change the PSPEC attribute in the Custom Properties window. The
new spec will be applied to all the selected inline parts. After this, the spec selection process
will automatically be triggered and changes to Sprefs can be followed up by viewing the
Message Log.

Note: In order to get a good overview of what happens during the respec operation, it is
recommended to only respec a reasonable number of parts in the same operation.
This makes it easier to follow up and check any changes.

Note: To select, in the current drawing, all inline parts in a branch or a pipeline, it is possible
to right click on the branch or pipeline in the explorer and use the Select in Drawing
command.

In the case where a diagram has been created without using any specification, and you
subsequently want to apply a spec, the below procedure can be followed:
1. Go to the Diagrams Options dialogue and change the Use specification default
setting under General options > Pipe Dimensioning > Spec search to True.
2. Also make sure that any desired propagation settings such as Refit Propagate
Autofit, Refit Propagate at Segment and Refit Propagate at Branch are set to
True.
3. Close the Diagrams Options dialogue.
4. Click on the first tube/fitting in the branch you want to apply spec search to and select
pipeline properties.
5. In the Pipeline Properties dialogue, go to the Specification tab and select a Pipe
spec.
6. Click OK to close the dialogue.
7. Select the first tube or fitting in the branch, right click and choose Refit. The
specification search will now be carried out and propagated according to the
propagation settings.

5.11.7 Resize
In case the user would like to change the leave bore or branching bore on an existing
shape, the Resize command can be used. The Resize command is available on the main
Object menu as well as on the shape right-click menu. Whether the result of the Resize
operation should be propagated or not is controlled by the various propagation default
settings.

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In case specification search is used, the Bore size dialogue will contain a dropdown list
where valid boresizes can be selected. In case the user will key in a bore size, this will
automatically be rounded off to the nearest valid bore size.
In case specification search is not used, the dropdown list will not contain any predefined
values, and the rounding will not occur.

Note: Resize can only be done at the start of a branch, at branching components such as
tees and at size-changing components such as reducers. All other components will
obtain their size from upstream components in order to keep the dimensional
consistency of the data model.

There are cases when the resize will not provide any result from the spec search, such as
when an equal Tee is resized to be un-equal. The Diagrams application then provides a
fallback in form of a new spec search which will hopefully find a matching SPCO of the un-
equal type. In case this happens, it will be visible to the user in the way that the Bore
question dialogue will appear twice.

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5.11.8 Refit

In case a bore size inconsistency has occurred, the Refit function can be used. This can for
example happen when a reducer is inserted and the Propagate autofit setting is set to
False. In the example above, the reducer has an input bore size of 100 and output of 80
while the downstream valve has a bore size of 100. Such inconsistencies can be found by
using the Consistency Check function.

By using the refit function available on the shape right click menu, the specification
reference for the valve will be re-selected using the upstream bore size.

After the Refit command has been performed, the valve now has a correct bore size and
specification reference.

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Depending on the propagation settings, the action will propagate downstream to a varying
degree.

5.12 Reverse Direction


By using the Reverse Direction command, the direction of valves and fittings can be
changed.

Before Reverse Direction is performed, Arrive is 1 and Leave is 2. The Reverse Direction
command is available on the shape right-click menu.

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After Reverse Direction has been performed, the symbol has been reversed and Arrive
and Leave have been exchanged.

Note: Reverse Direction only works on valves and fittings, which are Visio 2D shapes. In
case the user wants to reverse the direction of a tube segment, which is a Visio
connector, the standard Visio Reverse Ends command can be used. This command
can be found in the Shape > Operation menu in the main menu bar. An important
difference between these commands is that Reverse Ends changes the flow
direction, while Reverse Direction does not.

5.13 SpecSearch
By using the SpecSearch command a re-setting of SPREF of piping elements can be
performed. The functionality can be used e.g. for changing the specification for a whole
segment (or branch or pipeline depending on the propagation settings) as the component
selection is made from scratch and any existing search results or SPREF are not
considered.

5.14 Splitting Pipelines


One pipeline can be split into two by using the Pipe Splitter tool. This is available in the
Pipes sample stencil delivered with the system. Drag the Pipe Splitter and drop it onto the
position where the pipeline should be split.

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The parts following the split point will now be re-organised into a new pipeline.

Note: If the Pipe Splitter will not split the line as it is being dropped, try to zoom in and make
sure that the hair cross is properly aligned with the line to be split.

If the Show property dialogue on split default setting is True, the application will
automatically show the pipeline properties dialogue for the newly created pipeline. This will
give the user the opportunity to change attributes as for instance the description of the new
pipeline.

5.15 Joining Pipelines


To join two pipelines, first select the last part of a branch in the target pipeline, then
Ctrl+Click to also select the first part in the source pipeline. Next use the Join Pipelines
command to join the two pipelines together. All branches and inline parts will now be
transferred from the source pipeline to the target pipeline and the now empty source
pipeline will be deleted.

Note: That the Join Pipeline command requires that the branches are not connected at
the join point.

5.16 Consistency Check for Pipe


The Consistency Check function can be used to check the consistency of the piping
arrangements (please refer to Consistency Check in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

5.17 Line List Configuration


The Line List Configuration command is available under the menu Tools>Other Options.
It brings up the dialogue for configuring rules used to calculate pseudo attributes for
generating line lists from P&ID content. The Line List Configuration command is further
described in chapter Line List Configuration in the Schematic Model Manager User Guide.

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5.18 Automatic Management of Logical Pipe Model


As the user is working with the diagram, creating/deleting and connecting/disconnecting
items, the application will attempt to keep a consistent data model. This includes the
following functions:
Automatic concatenation of branches. When the first or last element of a branch is
connected to the first or last element of another branch in the same pipeline, the
branches will be concatenated. This means that all inline fitting will be reorganized as
members of the first branch, and the second branch will be deleted.
When the last inline part within a segment is deleted, the segment will also be deleted.
The same goes for branches. Because of this, the user will not have to consider this
situation and there will never be any empty segments or branches left in the database.

5.19 Instrumentation
This chapter describes instrumentation features that can be used to create control systems
for piping diagrams.

5.19.1 Overview
The Diagrams application allows the user to create low and high level control systems.
There are a few special elements in the database that can be easily used to create a

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instrumentation data model. Those elements can be grouped into schematic loops and can
be easily found and modified.

5.19.2 Elements

Schematic Loop (SCLOOP)


The Schematic Instrumentation LOOP is located at the same level as SCPLIN, which will be
a root for a secondary hierarchy. Instruments and other piping components will have the
capability to reference a SCLOOP and participate in the SCLOOP hierarchy (very similar to
the SYSTEM hierarchy, but the SCLOOP will be in the schematic database).
If a high level of detail is desired, it will be possible to model instrument lines in the same
way as the main flow, using branches, tubes, valves and off-page connectors. All discrete
components as well as structural elements will have the capacity to refer to a SCLOOP by
SCLORE attribute, and thus, be a member in instrument loop hierarchies.

Figure 5:10. SCLOOP element in the tree explorer

All elements that are members of a schematic loop can be easily found and selected on the
drawing. You can use one of the options from the context menu, Select in Drawing,
Highlight or Zoom to. A typical loop is presented below:

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Figure 5:11. Typical instrument loop

The Offline instrument (CCH-0/TC) is controlling the temperature inside the reactor. If the
temperature is too high/low, it gives a pneumatic signal via the tube to the actuator. The
actuator is steering cooling stream via a valve.
To create a new schematic loop the following dialogue is to be used:

Figure 5:12. Instrument Line (SCILIN)

SCILIN represents a Schematic Instrument Line in the data model. It is very similar to
SCPLIN and should be used by those who prefer to have a high level of detail in their
instrumentation model. SCILIN is able to refer to SCLOOP via the SCLORE attribute, similar
to other instrumentation elements. SCILIN has the same member hierarchy as SCPLIN
(SCBRAN, SCSEG etc.) and its primary hierarchy structure is the same as for SCPLIN.

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From the P&ID menu a SCILIN can be created as shown below:

The options here are the same as for pipeline. There is one additional option that allows to
set schematic loop references for Instrument Lines.

Offline Instruments (SCOINS)


SCOINS represents the Schematic Offline Instrument
An Offline Instrument can be connected to:
equipments
sub-equipments

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other offline instruments


actuators
valves
fittings
tubes
ducts
HVAC fittings
nozzles
Note: Connection of offline instrument to nozzle is not supported by Schematic 3D
Integrator and therefore will not be properly modelled in 3D. For that reason it is
recommended to use inline instruments connecting to nozzles instead.

To create an offline instrument:


1. First, drag an offline instrument shape from the stencil onto the drawing.

2. Second, drag the control handle and connect it to an inline fitting.

3. The instrument is now connected to the fitting.

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It is also possible to have connection points on the off-line instrument, allowing control lines
to be attached to it as can be seen in the example below:

It is also possible to connect two offline instruments directly, i.e. connect some alarms. To
achieve this the connection points have to be added as shown below:

The offline instrument has to be dragged with the outward connection point to offline
instrument with the inward connection point.

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Actuator Element (SCACTU)

SCACTU is representing a Schematic Actuator in the schematic database. Its attribute set
and behaviour is very much like SCOINS and its primary owner is the same as for the
SCOINS element. The differences between SCACTU and SCOINS are in:
the item they represent
the element they can refer to
the way the user can manipulate them in the AVEVA Diagrams application.
SCACTU is able to refer (attach) to another inline component, such as SCVALV, SCFITT
and SCINST. The SCOINS shape accomplishes this by using the Control Handle. On the
contrary, the SCACTU has a an outwards connection point used to build up the reference in
the diagram (SCNOZZ works similarly).
Actuators can be connected to:
equipments
sub-equipments
offline instruments
other actuators
valves
fittings

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It is possible to connect control lines for actuator behaviour managing.

5.19.3 Connection in Database

Schematic Instrument Reference (SCIREF)


Offline instruments and actuators can refer to other offline instruments, as well as
equipments, actuators and other pipe components. This reference is called schematic
instrument reference (SCIREF).
There are pseudo attributes used for querying SCIREF as described below.

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Example:

SCIREF Attribute executed on SCOINS, points to SCVALVE (returns all items that
are connected via SCIREF).

SCIREL Pseudo attribute executed on SCVALVE, points to SCOINS (returns all


items where SCIREF points to this SCVALVE).

Note: There is one more pseudo attribute called SCEIRE that returns the sum of SCIREF
and SCIREL.

For Actuators and Offline Instruments there is a possibility to query on only references to
elements of a particular type (process or instrumentation). To get such information the
following pseudo attributes should be used:

SCIPRE Returns a list of all process elements (equipments, sub-equipments,


nozzles and elements placed below SCPLIN) referenced by Actuator or
Offline Instrument via SCIREF.

SCIIRE Returns a list of all instrumentation elements (Actuators, Offline Instruments


and elements placed below SCILIN) referenced by Actuator or Offline
Instrument via SCIREF.

A list of corresponding connection types is returned by SCIPRT, for process connections,


and SCIIRT, for instrumentation connections, pseudo attributes described in the next
chapter.

Schematic Instrument Reference Type (SCIRTY)


The type of SCIRTY connection (i.e. electrical, infrared, Bluetooth, ZigBee, hydraulic etc.)
can be determined by using the SCIRTY attribute. This attribute is an array and has the
same size as SCIREF.
The available pseudo attributes for querying SCIRTY are described below:

SCIRLT Pseudo attribute returning all connection types that are linked with SCIREL.

SCIERT Pseudo attribute returning all connection types that are linked with SCEIRE.

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SCIPRT Returns a list of connection types for process connections of Actuator or


Offline Instrument (connection types from SCIRTY which are corresponding
with elements returned by SCIPRE).

SCIIRT Returns a list of connection types for instrumentation connections of


Actuator or Offline Instrument (connection types from SCIRTY which are
corresponding with elements returned by SCIIRE).

The table in the following example illustrates possible data extracted by SCIREF and
SCIRTY.

SCIREF of CCH-1 [DBREF] SCIRTY of CCH-1 [WORD]


1 CCH-2 ELEC
2 CCH-11 ZIGB
...
10

Schematic instrument reference type is corresponding to schematic instrument reference


where the same index.
CCH-1 has two SCIREF connections. It is connected with offline instrument (CCH-2) via
electrical interface and it is connected with actuator via the ZigBee interface.

5.19.4 Instrument Relationship Shape

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Instrument Relationship Shape does not represent a database element, but do represent a
SCIREF between SCOINS and SCACTU. In the figure below, the dashed line represents a
SCIREF from the SCOINS element at CCH-0 to the SCACTU representing the actuator at
AT-12. The actuator has a SCIREF set to A150/Vv-002.

When Instrument Relationship Shape connects two valid items, it changes colour to
defined. The colour can be determined in Diagrams Options:

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As mentioned earlier, Instrument Relationship Shape does not represent any database
element but it can display information from a database element that is associated with its
start. It has a little support for SCIRTY because it is representing a connection. This
connection type can be set using the Custom Properties / Shape Data window. If the Text
property is filled in, the Instrument Relationship Shape displays connection type value on
drawing using SCIRTY attribute without index. The system will automatically find the correct
one.
In the figure below the offline instrument has SCIREF set to equipment and actuator. A
connection between the equipment and offline instrument is achieved by the control handle
which is using an infra red interface. A connection between the offline instrument and
actuator is achieved by instrument relationship line which is using an electrical interface.

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Figure 5:13. Offline instrument is controlling a valve via actuator

5.19.5 High Level Detail


The Instrument Relationship Shape can be replaced by more advanced structures. The
scenario presented in figure Figure 5:13.: Offline instrument is controlling a valve via
actuator can be realized using the SCILIN, if a higher level of detailing is desired. In that
case, the instrument line is a full featured line consisting of branches and segments, similar
to the main flow lines. This will also cater for using any inline style valves and/or fittings
within the instrument line if needed. Since SCILIN has a SCLORE pointing to a loop, any
member of the SCILIN inherits the loop membership.

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If desired, individual fittings can have a direct SCLORE making them direct members of
another loop. This may be the case when bridging between different systems and/or signal
styles.
It is possible to create control lines from tubes, valves etc. Those elements are the same
elements that are created under pipe lines. To distinguish between those two line types in
the Diagrams application when importing shape, AVEVA Diagrams gives the user new types
to select:
1. Instrument line - works similar to Pipeline, creates SCILINE element in database after
drop.
2. Instrumentation branch - works similar to Branch, creates branch, segment and tube
under SCILIN after drop.
3. Instrumentation tube - works similar to Tube, creates tube under segment.

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All inline components (valves and fittings) have the same Visio shapes for two types of lines:
pipelines and instrument lines. To distinguish them in the drawing it is possible to determine
different colours for items defined under SCPLIN and items defined under SCILIN lines.

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5.19.6 Instrumentation Loop Options


Items like actuators, offline instruments, inline components and tubes have an attribute
called Schematic Loop Reference (SCLORE). Elements with this attribute can be assigned
to any SCLOOP element.
This is done by changing the value in the Custom Properties / Shape Data window, item
list or by using the dialogue available from the P&ID menu and context menu. The dialogue
is shown in the drawing below.

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There is an intelligent mechanism helping to keep connected elements in the same


SCLOOP. When something is connected to an item that is a part of a control system and it
has SCLOOP set already, the propagation mechanism will automatically set the SCLORE
attribute to newly connected items. Moreover, if the SCLORE attribute is changed, the new
value will be propagated to all connected items that have SCLORE unset or have previous
SCLORE value set.

Note: The Propagation mechanism does not support multiple SCLOOPs. If the previous
value was multiple SCLOOP the propagation will not continue after the change.
Additionally, propagation will stop on elements when:

The item has SCLORE already set.


The item is not an instrument line process member, or it is an equipment or sub-
equipment.
The item has multiple SCLORE set.
All items propagated will be displayed in the System Message Log.
Propagation behaviour can be defined via Diagrams Options.

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There is an option called Ask user for loop reference when connecting instrument loop.
When the instrument item is connected to another item that does not have SCLORE set, the
system will automatically ask for SCLOOP.

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HVAC Diagrams

6 HVAC Diagrams

In this chapter the special functions and procedures for the HVAC discipline are covered
and it is of special interest to users creating HVAC diagrams.

6.1 Overview
The application supports the creation of HVAC diagrams. This has a lot in common with the
creation of piping diagrams, but with the following major differences:
The dimensioning considers the shape factor (Rectangular, Round, Oval).
There is no automatic spec search.
To create HVAC diagrams, the HVAC mode should be used. This can be selected in the
Tools > Mode menu.
Before reading the HVAC diagrams documentation, it is recommended that you read the
Pipe diagrams section. The documentation for HVAC diagrams primarily covers the
differences compared to the piping diagrams functionality.

6.2 Creating HVAC Lines


HVAC lines can be created by using the HVAC > Create HVAC line command in the main
menu.

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This dialogue is similar to the Create Pipeline dialogue, the most significant difference is in
the Default Dimension tab. In this tab the Shape setting is available as well as Width and
Height for using with the rectangular and oval shapes. For the circular shape, only the Width
is available, which then represents the diameter.

6.3 HVAC Line Properties


After a HVACline has been created, its properties can be viewed and changed by using the
HVACline Properties command. This command is available through the right click menu in
the explorer on HVAClines and their members, as well as through the right click menu for
inline fittings in the drawing.

6.4 Creating Branches and Adding Parts


Before a branch can be created, the Current HVACline must be selected. The Current
HVACline can be seen in the Status Bar. To change the current HVACline, you can either
select the HVACline or any item below it in the explorer, or you can select a duct or an inline
fitting in the drawing which belongs to the desired HVACline.
Parts are added in the same way as for piping, by dragging and dropping ducts and fittings
to the drawing and connecting it together.

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6.5 Dimensioning
The HVAC dimensioning considers the shape factor as well as the dimension. The shape
factor is stored in the Conarray attribute, and the dimension in Heightarray and Widtharray.
In case a circular shape is used, the diameter is stored in the Heightarray.
When a branch shape is dropped on a drawing, the dimension will be picked up from the
default dimensioning settings for the HVACline.

As HVAC fittings are added, they will pick up the dimension from the upstream component,
provided that the Autoselect on Define default setting is True.

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As can be seen in the picture above, the fittings will by default get the same dimension for
arrive and leave. Please note that the CON1 & CON2 annotations do not reflect arrive and
leave, but rather connection1 and connection2.
The behaviour of the dimensioning during the creation of HVAC diagrams can be controlled
through a number of default settings that can be found under General options > HVAC
Dimensioning:

Default setting Value Description


Miscellaneous - True The component will automatically obtain the
Autoselect on define dimension from the upstream component when
defined (dropped onto a free connection).
False The component will not obtain any dimension
from the upstream component when defining.
Refit - Autofit on connect True The component will automatically obtain the
dimension from the upstream component when
being connected.
False The component will not obtain any dimension
from the upstream component when being
connected.
Refit - Autofit on delete True The component following the one that is being
deleted will automatically obtain the dimension
from the upstream component.
False The component following the one that is being
deleted will not obtain any dimension from the
upstream component.
Refit - Propagate autofit True Autofit should be propagated to downstream
components.
False Autofit should not be propagated to downstream
components.

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Refit - Propagate at True Autofit propagation will continue over segment


segment limits.
False Autofit propagation will not continue over
segment limits.
Refit - Propagate at True Autofit propagation will continue over branch
branch limits.
False Autofit propagation will not continue over branch
limits.
Resize - Propagate at True Resize propagation will continue over segment
segment limits.
False Resize propagation will not continue over
segment limits.
Resize - Propagate at True Resize propagation will continue over branch
branch limits.
False Resize propagation will not continue over branch
limits.

6.6 Resize
The Resize command is available on the right click menu of the shape. It will bring up a
dialogue where the leave size, and if applicable also the branching size can be set. Whether
the result of the Resize operation should be propagated or not is controlled by the various
propagation default settings.

Figure 6:1. Resize dialogue

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Figure 6:2. After resizing

6.7 Refit
In case a size inconsistency has occurred, the Refit function can be used. This can for
instance happen when a dimension is changed and refit propagation is disabled (HVAC
Dimensioning > Refit options set to False). Such inconsistencies can be found by using
the Consistency Check function.
The Refit function is available on the shape right click menu and will apply the upstream
size to the current part.

6.8 Splitting and Joining HVAC Lines


HVAC lines can be split and joined in the same way as pipelines.

6.9 Consistency Check for HVAC


The Consistency Check function (please refer to Consistency Check in Chapter Working
with Diagrams) can be used to check the consistency of a HVAC diagram and will provide
messages for mismatches between diagrams against the database, dimensional
mismatches and unconnected ends etc.

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Cable Diagrams

7 Cable Diagrams

This chapter covers the special functions and procedures for the Cable discipline and is of
special interest for users creating single line and core connections diagrams.

7.1 Overview
The application supports the creation of single line cabling diagrams as well as core
connection diagrams.

7.2 Single Line Cabling Diagrams


There are two types of cable elements:
Cables - connector shapes representing a single cable line.
Multi-cables - connector shapes representing a set of cables (refer to Working with
Multi-cables for further information).
Both types listed above are created by dragging and dropping corresponding shapes from
the stencil. Cables and Multi-cables can be connected to equipment items in four different
ways:
Connected to the centre point of the equipment item. This means that the shape
representing the equipment item does not have to have any connection points defined.
Connected to a predefined connection point on the equipment item.
Connected to an electrical connection element on the equipment item.
By applying the Connection to Nested Symbol method (refer to Connecting Cable
Elements to Nested Symbol for further information.
For renaming cables there is a special Rename Chain function in the Object > Naming >
Rename Elements function (refer to Rename Elements in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

Note: That you might have to refresh the shapes to update annotation etc. on the drawing,
after the Rename operation is complete.

Electrical equipment items can be created in the same way as other equipment items. See
the Using Equipment and Subequipment in Chapter Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams
(P&IDs). For cabling diagrams, electrical connection elements can be used. These behave
very much like piping nozzles, see Using Nozzles in Chapter Piping & Instrumentation
Diagrams (P&IDs).

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7.3 Working with Multi-cables


Multi-cable elements represent several cables with the same specification and are also
connected to/from the same database item. In database, cables represented by a multi-
cable shape, are placed below the corresponding Multi-cable db element.
On the drawing, multi-cables are represented by single connector lines and can be created
by dragging and dropping Multi-cable shapes from a stencil. Dropping Multi-cable on a page
will result in creation of a new Multi-cable db element with a configurable number of db
cables placed below it.
The number of cables represented by Multi-cable is controlled via its SCQUAN attribute. It
can be set in the Custom Properties / Shape Data window or directly on the command
line. Connecting/disconnecting Multi-cable shapes to/from different db elements
(equipments, sub-equipments, electrical connections) will cause changing STAREF/
ENDREF of Multi-cable and all cables below it. Changes to Multi-cable attributes, except
NAME, will override changes to Cable attributes.
Changes made in Multi-cable are propagated to its cable members. It is possible to set
values of attributes of a particular cable by using the command line (except STAREF,
ENDREF, CATREF), but the values will be overridden each time the same attribute will
change on Multi-cable level.

Figure 7:1. Example of using Multi-cable element

7.3.1 Naming Cables Owned by Multi-cable


Cables owned by Multi-cable are named automatically and the names can not be edited
directly. The names are consisting of three parts:

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Name of owning Multi-cable


Delimiter - configurable by SCDELIM attribute of Multi-cable
Ordinal character (numeric or alpha)
Ordinal character is controlled by SCALPHA and SCDIGITS attributes in the following way:
SCALPHA determines whether ordinal character should be numeric (SCAPHA=false) of
alphabetic (SCALPHA=true).
Example 1:

Attribute Value

SCMCAB NAME /XYZ

SCDELIM '-'

SCALPHA false

SCDIGITS 2

Result Cable names:

Element Name

SCCAB1 /XYZ-01

SCCAB2 /XYZ-02

Example 2:

Attribute Value

SCMCAB NAME /XYZ_1

SCDELIM Unset

SCALPHA true

SCDIGITS 2 (ignored when SCALPHA=true)

Result Cable names:

Element Name

SCCAB1 /XYZ_1A

SCCAB2 /XYZ_1B

Note: The names of cables owned by Multi-cable will be generated automatically only
when the name of the Multi-cable itself is set.

Note: Each time SCDELIM, SCALPHA or SCDIGITS (when SCAPHA=false) is changed,


the names of cables will be redefined.

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7.3.2 Presenting Multi-cables in Item List


As any schematic elements present on a drawing, the Multi-cables are shown in the Item
List. They are listed on a separate Multi-cables tab. Cable members can be shown on the
Cables tab depending on the Show Multi-cable Members setting, which can be defined in
the Diagrams Options window.

7.4 Connecting Cable Elements to Nested Symbol


One of the methods of connecting Cable or Multi-cable to equipment is connection using a
nested symbol. It can be established as follows:
By connecting the Cable element to a connection point on a symbol being part of
Equipment, Sub-equipment or Electrical Connection group.
By dragging a symbol that is already connected to a Cable element into Equipment,
Sub-equipment or Electrical connection group. To be able to use this option, the
behaviour of the Containing Group should be set to Accept dropped shapes and
nested symbol should be set to Add shape to group option.
Disconnecting a cable element from a symbol belonging to an equipment group, or dragging
a symbol connected to a cable element out of an equipment group, will result in
disconnection in db.
To achieve this functionality the Equipment, Sub-equipment or Electrical connection should
be converted to a group before importing a shape to the stencil.

7.5 Core Connections Definition Dialogue


By first selecting one or more cables, and then issuing the Cable > Define Core
Connections command, the core connections can be defined. In case other items than
cables have been selected, these will be ignored.

Note: To select all cables in a drawing or cables according to a certain criteria, the
Selection Toolbar can be used (refer to Find in Drawing Toolbar in Chapter Working
with Diagrams.

The Define Core Connections dialogue will contain one section for each cable. In the
middle is the cable with its cores and to the left and right are the connected equipment
items.

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7.5.1 Defining the Number of Cores


The number of cores for a cable is fetched from the catalogue. If the Spref is already set, the
correct number of rows will be shown for each cable, one for each core. In case the cable
does not have any Spref, the application will not know how many cores the cable has and
will therefore show a question mark in the Core column. It is possible to assign a Spref to a
cable in the core connections dialogue by right-clicking on the cable name and selecting Set
Catalogue Reference.

This will bring up a Catalogue Search dialogue, which works in the same way as the
general Catalogue Search function (Catalogue Search in Chapter Working with Diagrams).

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When a cable catalogue item has been selected, the Cable Core Connection Definition
dialogue will know how many cores the cable has got and will then show the corresponding
number of rows.

7.5.2 Selecting Equipment


In case the cable has already been connected to equipment items in the diagram, these
equipment items will be shown in the Equipment columns to the left and to the right in the
dialogue. If it has not been connected, it is possible to select an equipment item in the core
connections dialogue by clicking on the text box and using the button.

This will bring up the standard Browse/Search dialogue (Standard DB Browse Dialogue in
Chapter Working with Diagrams) where an equipment item can be found and selected.

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The text box in the Equipment column also features a fill handle. By clicking and dragging
on the grey box in the lower right corner, the selected equipment can be applied to other
rows in the same way that the fill handle works in applications like MS Excel.

It is also possible to change the connected equipment item for a cable that has been
connected to an equipment shape in the diagram. Changing the equipment item in this
dialogue will only affect the core connections. The cable as such will still retain its
connection to the equipment item, as defined in the diagram, and will not be affected.
Theoretically it is possible to define all cores being connected to a different equipment item
than the one that the cable is connected to, in the single line diagram.

7.5.3 Selecting Electrical Connection


By clicking at the Text box in the Electrical connection column, an electrical connection
(elconn) can be selected. The dropdown list will show all existing elconn elements for the
selected equipment item. In case the equipment item does not have any or too few elconns,
it is possible to add new ones by selecting the Add command.

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This will bring up the Create electrical connection dialogue, where the new electrical
connection can be created and its attributes set. The Catalogue reference is of special
importance as it will be used to determine how many terminals the elconn has.

The Electrical connection column also features a fill handle like the one described above for
the Equipment column.

7.5.4 Selecting the Terminal for Each Core


By clicking on the dropdown and using the fill handle in the terminal column, the actual core
connection can be defined.

7.5.5 Configuring the Dialogue


In the Diagrams Options, under the General Options > Dialogues, there are a number of
values that can be set up to control the initial layout of the dialogue columns. The numbers
are given as a percentage of the total dialogue width. By entering -1 as column width, the
column will automatically adjust to the free width.

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Here it is also possible to configure tooltips to be shown in the dialogue. This can for
instance be used to show the description of an equipment item when the mouse hovers over
the equipment name. The format of the tooltip definition follows the Attribute Presentation
Notation format, please refer to Attribute Presentation Notation in Chapter Appendices for
further information.

7.6 Generating Core Connection Diagrams


After the core connections have been established using the Cable Core Connection
Definition dialogue, the Generate Core Connections Diagram command can be used to
create the connection diagram layout. This will be created as a new diagram that can be
manually annotated, saved, printed etc.

The Diagrams application is delivered with a standard core connections diagram layout
which can be considered a sample. As there is a wide variety of preferred layouts and many

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companies have their own layout standards, the program source code for the Core
Connections diagram generation is provided on the support site (www.aveva.com/support).
It is therefore possible for customers to modify the layout by modifying the program code, or
to create totally different layouts by creating new code, perhaps with some inspiration from
the standard sample.
The program code is contained within the following c# source files:
CableInfo.cs
CoreInfo.cs
Commands.cs
CoreConnectionsDiagram.cs
CoreConnectionsDiagramAddin.cs
These can be found on the installation DVD in folder Manuals/Docs/Samples.zip.
Microsoft Visual Studio is required to modify and rebuild the Add-in.

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8 Reporting

The Diagrams application offers different types of reports of schematic data for various
purposes. These are as follows:
Visio reports: This is the standard MS Visio report function and can be used to create
reports based on diagram document data. Please refer to the MS Visio documentation
for more information. This command is available in the Tools-Reporting > Visio
Reports menu.
Reports: This is the standard AVEVA reporting tool which can create reports from
database data and is also available in the other PDMS applications. In the Tools-
Reporting > Reports sub-menu there are commands for running, creating, modifying
and deleting reports. Please refer to the General / Reporting Reference Manual for
more information on this reporting tool.
Quick Reports: This is the standard AVEVA quick reporting tool and is available in the
Tools > Reporting-Quick Reports menu. Please refer to the Catalogues and
Specifications User Guide / Quick Reports Form for more information.
Spreadsheet export: This is available on the right click menu in the Item List (please
refer to Item List in Chapter Working with Diagrams) and can be used to create
equipment lists, fitting lists, cable lists etc. from the current drawing. This is further
described in Export in Chapter Working with Diagrams.

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Figure 8:1. The reports menu

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Releasing Information for 3D

9 Releasing Information for 3D

This chapter includes information about managing the relation with 3D data and is of interest
to most users when the link to 3D through the Schematic 3D Integrator is used.

9.1 Overview
To support the workflow between diagram designers and 3D model designers, Diagrams
includes some functions to manage the release of information to 3D. These are as follows:
Setting the Release Status.
Highlighting and Visualizing Release and Linked-to-3D status.
Warnings and Restrictions for Released and Linked-to-3D items.
Diagrams supports a Release status that can be set or re-set through the application and
serves as a flag to the 3D designers that the diagram data is now complete and approved
and can be used as a base for 3D modelling. When related 3D data is created through the
Schematic 3D Integrator, a link between 2D schematic items and corresponding 3D items
will be established in the database. These items are then considered to be linked, and this is
represented by a linked-to-3D status attribute. If items have been linked they can be
considered as being picked up and re-used by the 3D designers.
The release status can be set on database items in a flexible way, among these is to set the
release status for all items in a diagram. However, the diagram document as such does not
have a release status and will not be managed in this way.
The release status is represented by the RESTAT attribute in the database. A value of 1
means that the item is released, and a value of 0 means that it is not released.
The diagram documents are made available to 3D design users as SVG files, created for
each foreground page on the drawing. This can then be used for viewing the diagram
without the need for having MS Visio installed. The SVG file name for a particular page can
be found by querying the NVIEWF(N) pseudo attribute on the SCDIAG element, where N is
a number of a page.
Depending on the Create SVG on Save Work setting available in Diagrams
Options>General Options>System configuration>SVG, the files can be created
automatically on Save Work for every drawing, for pages containing data released to 3D
only or if the setting is set to Never the SVGs will have to be created manually using the
Release Diagram to 3D function. If this function is used, then all items on pages the SVGs
are created for are released to 3D. For more information please see Save Work and SVG
Creation in Chapter Working with Diagrams.

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9.2 Setting the Release Status


Setting the release status can be done in two ways, using the Set Release Status dialogue
or Release Diagram to 3D. The Release Diagram to 3D dialogue provides functionality to
release all items on selected pages and to create SVG files for the pages to make them
available for Design. For more information please see Save Work and Save As in Chapter
Working with Diagrams.The Set Release Status dialogue provides the possibility to release
individually selected items as well as whole drawings. It can be opened in different contexts
and parts of the user interface providing a flexible way of selecting the items to be released.
The dialogue is available:
By right-clicking on items in the Schematic Explorer.
By right-clicking on items in the System Explorer.
By selecting one or more objects in the drawing and using the Object > Set Release
Status menu or using the shape right click menu.
By right clicking on the drawing background (this will release all items on all pages in
the current drawing).
The release status can be set individually for:
Equipment
Sub-equipment
Cables
Multi-cables
Offline instruments
Actuators
Segments
For piping and HVAC, the lowest level that can be released is a segment. Nozzles and
Elconns will be released together with their parent equipment/subequipment item.
When the Set Release Status command is issued, a dialogue will be shown to the user. In
this dialogue it is possible to see the current release status of the selected items as well as
set or reset the status of the selection or individual items.

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When the dialogue is opened, the current release status is shown. If the item is already
released, you will see a green checkmark in the box in front of the item. For hierarchically
superior items, there is also a green checkmark if all subordinate items are released. If only
some of the subordinate items are released, there will instead be a green box shown.
After the type, name and description of the item, the date and user that released it is also
listed.
To set the release status, click the boxes. If a box on a high level is checked, all subordinate
items will also be checked, the same applies if you uncheck a box.
As well as setting the release status, it is also possible to reset it here, simply by unchecking
the boxes. This means that items that were earlier released now no longer are released.
This enables the user to make changes to already released items and these changes can
be detected by the Schematic 3D integrator application. Once the changes are complete,
the release status can be set once again.
The dialogue also includes a Comment field which can be used to enter a release comment
to be applied to the items.
Depending on how the Set Release Status command was activated, the dialogue will show
a different hierarchy:

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The picture above shows the Group Context window which will be displayed when a
schematic group has been selected in the explorer. The dialogue now shows the complete
hierarchy below the group node.

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The picture above shows the Objects Context window which will be displayed when one or
more objects have been selected in the explorer or in the drawing. The dialogue now only
shows parts of the hierarchy covering the selected items. If for instance a piping or HVAC
branch has been selected, the explorer only shows that branch, even if the pipeline might
have other branches.

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The picture above shows the Diagram Context window which will be displayed when the
user has right clicked an SCDIAG element in the explorer or on the drawing background.
The dialogue now shows all items in the current drawing. In case the drawing contains parts
of a pipeline (branches or segments) while other parts of the pipeline are represented in
other drawings, the explorer only shows the parts of the pipeline that are on the current
drawing.

9.3 Visualizing Release and Link to 3D Status


By using the Tools > Visualize Release and Link to 3D Status command, the items in the
current drawing page can be highlighted or selected.

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9.4 Warnings and Restrictions


In case the user will try to modify or delete an item that has been released or associated,
messages will be shown and restrictions can apply.

9.4.1 Released but not Linked Items

The dialogue above will be shown when an item which is released but not linked is modified.
If the user clicks OK, the modification will be applied to the item and the release status will
be reset. If the user wants to release the item to 3D again, he/she will have to use the Set
Release Status function again. If the Cancel button is clicked, any changes will be undone.

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If the user tries to delete one or more items that are released but not linked, the dialogue
above will be shown. If the user clicks OK, the item(s) will be deleted, otherwise the user
should click Cancel.

Also if the user opens the Pipeline Properties / HVACline Properties dialogues, a warning
will be issued.

9.4.2 Released and Linked Items


For items that are released AND linked, similar dialogues as above will be shown. However,
depending on the value of the Allow changes to linked with 3D default setting, changes
and deletions will be either allowed or not.

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Utilities

10 Utilities

This chapter describes miscellaneous utilities that can be useful to most users.

10.1 Batch Job


By using the Batch Job function, a selection of diagrams can be checked and printed in one
operation.

To the left, the contents of the database can be navigated using the Database Tree tab and
searched using the Search tab. This part of the dialogue behaves more or less like the
general Browse Dialogue (please refer to the Standard DB Browse Dialogue in Chapter
Working with Diagrams), with the difference that it contains checkboxes for multiple

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selection in the tree view. In the search view, multiple diagrams can be selected by using
normal Shift+Click and Ctrl+Click.
Items can be added to the selection in the right side of the dialogue by using the Add button
and removed using the Remove button.
The selected diagrams can then be consistency checked and printed by using the buttons at
the bottom of the dialogue.

10.1.1 Batch Update

Overview
The Batch update function is used to update many drawings in one go without opening
them separately. The option is available in the Batch Job dialogue below.

Figure 10:1. Batch job form

Before proceeding, select the diagrams that are to be updated. After selecting the diagrams
click the Update Diagrams button.

Batch Update Options


The Batch update function also makes it possible to choose options that will be updated on
selected diagrams. Available options are presented in Figure 10:2.: Update Diagrams
Options Form below. The options will be described further later on in this chapter.

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Figure 10:2. Update Diagrams Options Form

Select Updated Masters


A new shape is created each time you drag and drop a new symbol from an external stencil
(e.g. Sample_Fitting_Symbols.vss) into the drawing. In addition it creates a new master on
the Document stencil (Figure 10:3.: Document Stencil). After dropping the symbol the direct
link between the Shape and its original master located on the external stencil is broken.
However, each master has a BaseID and a UniqueID.

Figure 10:3. Document Stencil

The following example will explain the difference between a BaseID and a UniqueID:
A BaseID is assigned to a master when it is created. The valve has been dropped on to the
page from the Sample_Valve_Symbols stencil. As a result of this operation the new master
will be created in the Document Stencil. Both masters (on the document and
Sample_Valve_Symbols stencils) will have the same BaseID and UniqueID. If one of the
masters is changed the UniqueID will also change but the BaseID will remain the same. For
more information refer to the Microsoft Visio documentation.

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If modifying masters items on external stencils and applying changes to shapes, which were
created by dropping these masters, those masters need to be selected. To do that click the
Select master shapes to use for update button in Figure 10:2.: Update Diagrams Options
Form. The following dialog will be shown.

Figure 10:4. Select Masters to Update

The dialogue above contains three windows: Stencils, Masters and Masters to update.
These windows will be empty at start up. Click the Add Stencil button to add a stencil that
contains modified masters. These added stencils will be shown in the Stencils window. In
the Masters window the masters that belong to a selected stencil are displayed. Only the
masters in the Masters to update window will be used during the update operations. To add
masters to the Master to update window, use drag and drop or the right-click context menu.
If the Add all check box is checked all masters from all stencils will be added. To remove
masters from the Master to update window select right-click on a master or use the Delete
key on the keyboard.

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Figure 10:5. Deleting Masters to update

The number of selected masters will be visible in brackets in the Update Diagrams Option
dialogue as shown below.

Figure 10:6. Number of selected masters

Update Symbols According to Master Shapes


This option will replace the shape symbols if the shape master, that is located in the
document master, has a different UniqueID than the master with the same BaseID that was
selected.

Update Symbols According to Catalogue Information


This option replaces symbol shape according to data in the specification. Symbol from
SPREF will replace the existing one when:
the SPREF attribute points to an element that have SYMGROU and SYMNAME
attributes
SYMGROU points to a valid stencil and SYMNAME points to a valid master.

Update Annotation Formats


When this option is checked it is possible to update auto labels and presentation text
according to the diagrams settings or master settings. There are four different scenarios:
1. If a master was selected then labels and text rule is taken from the master instance.
2. When the master is not selected then the system will check if the shape that should be
updated inherited its setting from the master or the default.
3. If settings were derived from the master and this master is not selected then some
shape settings will not be updated.
4. If settings were derived from the diagrams default settings then the system will update
them.
Note: Title blocks and Multi labels require the master to be selected because there is no
setting for this in Diagrams Options.

Note: If an autolabel is deleted from a shape after the update the label might not be added.
The reason for this is because the system remembers that this label was previously

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deleted. To add an autolabel use the option Ignore stencil settings or select the
correct master.

Update Attribute Presentation Settings


This option is for updating the Shape Data (Custom Properties) order, presentation texts,
visibility etc. according to Diagrams default options or master setting. This option can be
controlled globally for each type separately by checking Allow individual shape to override
default settings.

Figure 10:7. Allow individual shape settings to override deafult settings

When this option is unchecked the shapes will be updated according to the diagrams default
settings. Otherwise data from the selected master will be used. If the master was not
selected, the system checks if a shape that should be updated retrieved its settings from the
master or the default. If the settings were taken from the master and the master was not
selected then the shape will not be updated. If the settings were taken from the diagrams
default settings then the system will update the shape. During update all Shape Data
(Custom Properties) that exist in the shape instance but does not exist in the current
settings will be removed. The only exception from this rule is a situation where other cells
depends on it. When this is the case, the system will not delete it but will display a warning
that other cells are using this data. See the following example:
A shape has two shape data before update:
Text
Instrument Type
This will be displayed as in the following figure.

Figure 10:8. Shape data before update

The next step is to modify the settings to hold only one set of shape data:
Text

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Click Update. This can result in two scenarios:


1. The Instrument type was removed according to the current setting.

Figure 10:9. After update unnecessary shape data were removed

2. The instrument type remains. This is because other cells are using its value. In this
case there will be a warning issued in the report.

Figure 10:10. After update the Instrument type remains

Warning message:
This update will not set any default values to new shape data.

Refresh Shapes
If this option is checked it will make a call to refresh each shape.

Ignore Stencil Settings


Some options require the selection of masters to execute the updates properly. This is
because the data was retrieved from them. However, there might be situations where this
will not be possible or instead the diagrams settings should be used. In these cases this
option should be checked. When it is checked, the system will update the shapes according
to the global settings.

Note: This setting will not work for the autolabels layer. The layer for autolabel is taken from
the master that is used to create autolabel.

Update of the Diagram


After clicking the Update! button the system will start updating the diagrams. Each column
corresponds to an according update option. There is one more extra column called Update
drawing. This option is obligatory to execute. It will upgrade the shapes to the newest
versions.

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Figure 10:11. Upgrade Diagram Status

When all the steps are finished more details can be viewed by clicking the link label:

Figure 10:12. Ugrade details

Information can be selected and copied to the clipboard. To save the report to a file, click the
Save Report button on the Update Diagrams Status form.
To load a saved report, use the Load Log button on the Update Diagrams Options form.

10.1.2 Batch Consistency Check


The Consistency Check function will go through each of the selected diagrams and run a
consistency check on them.

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The result summary for each diagram is reported in the Errors, Warnings and Informational
columns, as well as represented by the icon before the diagram name. The progress for
each diagram can be seen in the Progress Bar as well as in the status text below it.
By using the Stop button, the Check function can be cancelled.
In case the user wants to further investigate any of the issues found in a diagram, it is
possible to select the diagram and use the Open Diagram button. The diagram will then be
opened in the background, and after the dialogue is closed, the Consistency Check
function can be used to create a detailed report of the issues with that diagram.

10.1.3 Batch Print


By clicking the Print button in the batch job dialogue, a Print dialog will be shown.

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In the Print dialog it is possible to select the following:


Which printer to use
Number of copies
Print colour as black
Printer paper size and aspect
Zoom settings
When the OK button is clicked, all pages of all selected diagrams will be printed on the
selected printer.

10.2 Project Maintenance

10.2.1 Clean Old Session Files


The Diagrams application provides a tool for removing old document session files from a
project. It is available from the menu Tools > Utilities > Project Maintenance and can be
used when the Keep session files setting (KEEP_SESSION_FILES) in Diagrams Options is
set to False. After selecting it from the menu, the dialogue window is opened and provides
the possibility to select the document types to clean:

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After clicking OK the following confirmation dialogue is displayed:

After clicking the Yes button all old session files connected with DB elements (of selected
types) existing in the current MDB are removed. Only the files that are related with the most
recent version of each element will be kept. Files that are not connected with any SCDIAG,
SCTEMP or SCSTEN from the current MDB are not considered to avoid accidental deleting
of important files.

Note: Cleaning old session files allows saving disc space in the case that there is no need
to keep previous documents versions, but after performing the operation it will not be
possible to restore earlier sessions including the corresponding diagram file
versions.

Note: Using the Clean Old Session Files function will only remove Visio and SVG files
related to old sessions, it will not remove the actal dabacon DB settings. To remove
the sessions from the DB, use the Merge Changes function in Admin.

10.3 AVEVA Instrumentation Data Update


This add-in to AVEVA Diagrams can be used to compare attribute values for schematic
instruments against data held in AVEVA Instrumentation, and to update the schematic
database with values from AVEVA Instrumentation.

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To start the add-in, from the View menu select AVEVA Instrumentation Data Update.

Figure 10:13. View Menu

Note: This option is only available if AVEVA Instrumentation is installed.

For more information please refer to the AVEVA Instrumentation Data Update User Guide.
Schematic and engineering users should use this guide to understand how to update their
schematic models with instrumentation data mastered in AVEVA Instrumentation.

10.4 DWG Export


DWG Export is a tool for exporting Visio drawings to DWG format. The DWG export tool is
available from the menu File > Dwg export.

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During the export process the tool reads Visio geometry and styles information and creates
corresponding DWG objects that the best fit Visio components. Whole component
corresponding geometry objects are exported as blocks with component attributes as block
attributes. Then blocks inserts are creating DWG file geometry. The existing background
page of the Visio drawing is exported as one block named Background.
All additional texts corresponding to the Visio component are exported separately as MTexts
and grouped with blocks. It makes editing texts easier and available without block
exploding.

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10.4.1 Visio Drawing Items Compatibility

Geometry:

Supported: Line
Arc
EllipticalArc
Polyline
Ellipse
Unsupported: NURBS, Spline, Infinities
Note: If some unsupported shape geometry will be found, a proper
message will be displayed in the Message Log.

Foreign object:

Supported: All COM objects (Excel)


Ink
Pictures
All these objects are exported as raster images. Set the AutoCAD option
ImageFrame to 0 to disable frames for pictures attached to a dwg file.

Lines Option:

Supported: Weight
Colour
Pattern (patterns depend on user
Diagrams.lin file definition).
Ends
Unsupported: Round corners, Transparency, Caps

Fill options:

Supported: Foreground colour


Solid fill
Patterns from 2 to 7
Unsupported: Other patterns, Shadow, Transparency,
Patterns with defined background colour.

Texts:

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Supported: System fonts


Text formatting; Size, Colour, Italic, Bold,
Underline, Alignment, Margins, Paragraph
Line Spacing.
Unsupported: Visio line braking (DWG uses a different
algorithm), Case (Caps), Position,
Strikethrough, Transparency, Character
Spacing, Paragraph Indentations,
Paragraph Before/After Spacing,
Background Colour, Vertical Text, Bullets,
Tabs.

Data:

Supported: Shape Data (component attributes become


block data).

Layers:

Supported: Active Page Layers, Background(s) layers.


Shape Layer Membership
Layer property: Colour
Unsupported: Layer properties: Visible, Print, Active, Lock, Snap, Glue.

Note: There are some differences between DWG and the original Visio format. If a Visio
shape geometry is an open contour or the filled area is defined by more that one
geometry, it is not possible to fill it using hatch in DWG format. An example of this is
the AVEVA logo from the default diagrams background which is exported with
incorrect fill in some of the letters.

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Utilities

10.4.2 User Interface

Main Form
After running Dwg export, the Dwg export docked window will show on the Diagrams main
form. With every first run of this add-in, there will be export settings from
DiagramsCadExport.xml file located in the application directory. The Export window
has four operating buttons (see Figure 10:14.: Dwg export window) and two tabs. The tabs
are described further in Settings Tab and Lines Map Tab below.

Operating buttons:
Dismiss Closes the Dwg export window
Load Loads settings from
DiagramsCadExport.xml
file
Save Saves settings to
DiagramsCadExport.xml
file
Export Runs export

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Utilities

Figure 10:14. Dwg export window

10.4.3 Settings Tab


The Settings tab, in the Dwg export window above, contains general settings for export
like:
Export location - path to exported DWG file. On the right hand side there is a button
for choosing the right path from the dialog. If full path is not used, the export will create
the DWG file in the %PDMSEXE% directory
DWG version - option to fit valid version of exported DWG file.
Available DWG versions:
Release 14
AutoCAD 2000/2000i/2002
AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006
AutoCAD 2007/2008/2009 (default)
AutoCAD 2010
Exported shapes - option with shape collection manners for exported diagram.
Page (default) - collects all shapes from the active page and background page(s).

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Utilities

Selected - collects all selected shapes from the active page and all from the
background page, if the background page is not the active page. The order of
selection determines the order of export.
Units - option for choosing metric or imperial units to be used in the DWG file.
Available units:
Millimetres - measurement - Metric.
Inches (default) - measurement - Imperial.

10.4.4 Lines Map Tab


Lines Map contains pairs of Visio lines types and DWG line patterns that shows line type
representation in DWG after export. Available DWG lines are defined in the
Diagrams.lin file. A description of how to define DWG line patterns can be found in
Creating Line Patterns below.
The Lines Map tab (Figure 10:15.: Lines Map) contains the following controls:
Line types table- table with corresponding lines patterns from Diagrams to DWG.
New - add new rows to the map table.
Delete - delete selected rows from the map table.
Default - option to choose default DWG pattern.
Refresh - refreshes DWG patterns list. Refresh must be used every time the
Diagrams.lin file is changed so that the DWG line patterns will be available in the
lines map grid.

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Utilities

Figure 10:15. Lines Map

10.4.5 Layers Tab


The Layers tab contains a set of DWG layer properties; Colour, Line Width and Line
Pattern. If the Line Pattern box ByLayer is ticked, every shape that belongs to the specific
layer will have the corresponding property set to ByLayer. This means that the value in the
layer property will control that of the shape(s). The Refresh button refreshes layers from the
active diagram.
The Layers Map tab (Figure 10:16.: Layers Tab) contains the following controls:
Layers settings table
Refresh button - refreshes layers from the diagram.

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Utilities

Figure 10:16. Layers Tab

10.4.6 Configuration - DWG Export Settings


While the DwgExport starts, all settings are loaded from the
DiagramsCadExport.xml configuration file. If this does not exist, the settings are set
to defaults and the configuration file is created. It is possible, at any time, to load these
settings by clicking the Load button. To save the changed settings click the Save button.
The DiagramsCadExport.xml configuration file is saved in
\project\<proj_name>\<proj_name>dflts\Diagrams\ or in the
%PDMSEXE% directory. The check is always performed in the DFTLS path first and if the file
does not exist there the check is performed in the %PDMSEXE%.

10.4.7 Creating Line Patterns


The Diagrams.lin file with DWG patterns definitions is placed in the %PDMSEXE%
directory. This is a text file, so it can be edited using a text editor like Notepad. This file can
be exchanged with another line pattern file directly in the operating system.
One pattern consists of two lines. The first line contains the name and description and uses
the following syntax:
*name,description
The Second line starts with A,. It indicates the beginning of linetype pattern:

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Utilities

A,pattern
A simple pattern is a sequence of dashes, dots or spaces separated by commas:
Dash - is represented by a positive number.
Space - is represented by negative number.
Dot - is represented by zero.

Example 1:
A simple linetype definition containing dashes:
*myLine1,- - - - - - - -
A,1,-1

Example 2:
A simple linetype definition containing dashes and dots:
*myLine2,- . - . -
A,1,-0.5,0,-0.5

To define the linetype that includes text characters, some parameters must be defined:
"text" - text to display (must be defined)
textstylename - used text style (must be defined)
scale - the scale or height of the text
rotation - rotation angle of the text
xoffset - X offset from the end of the previous space

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Utilities

yoffset - Y offset from the end of the previous space


The text specification is enclosed in square brackets "[]" and each item is separated by
commas ",":
["text",textstylename,scale,rotation,xoffset,yoffset]
Note: textstylename - should be ACAD embedded text style name, .shx files are
unsupported.

Example 3:
Line type definition with text character:
*myLine3,- B - B - B -
A,1,-0.5,["B",STATNDARD,S=0.4],-0,-0.5,-0

Example 4:
Line type definition with rotated text character:
*myLine4, - B - B - B -
A,1,-0.5,["B",STANDARD,S=0.4,R=18],-0,-0.5,-0

Example 5:
Line type definition with moved text character:
*myLine5, - B - B - B -
A,1,-0.5,["B",STANDARD,S=0.4,X=0.2,Y=0.3],-0,-0.5,-0

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Example 6:
Line type definition with text character above continuous line:
*myLine6, -B-B-B-B-B-
A,1,-0,["B",STANDARD,S=0.4,Y=0.3]

Example 7:
*FLOWDIR, -->---->--
A,1,-0,[">",STANDARD,S=0.1,R=0,Y=-0.05]

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Utilities

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Diagrams User Guide
Schematic Model Viewer

11 Schematic Model Viewer

11.1 Overview

The Schematic Model Viewer allows users to view the contents of the schematic model
database independently of diagram layouts. It provides a continuous navigable view of
equipment items and the interconnecting piping networks, independently of which system
they belong to or which P&ID they have been drafted on. In the current release, it only
shows piping connections. Cable and HVAC will be added later.
The Schematic Model Viewer is implemented as a CAF Add-In, meaning that it can be
hosted by different applications. The viewer will also require access to a SCHE DB as part
of the current MDB.

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Schematic Model Viewer

To start the viewer, the user will have to select an equipment item. This item will be placed at
the centre of the generated view and the system will automatically find all connections in the
database and display each connection as a graphical sub tree. Each subtler is traversed
through all branches until other equipment items or branch ends are encountered.
Branching points (such as Tees, Owlets or 3-way valves) are represented by a generic
branching point symbol. The initially generated view will not extend beyond the equipment
items encountered at the end of the branches, but it is possible for the user to manually
expand and continue exploring along the schematic network. Equipment items are
displayed using different icons, selected by a set of customer definable rules.

The viewer also comes with its own toolbar, which contains the following buttons:
New Schematic Model View
Save as Visio drawing
Print
Centre item
Expand
Collapse
Show inline items
Settings

11.2 Starting the Viewer


The viewer can be started in a few different ways, depending on the possibilities of the
hosting application:

Start method Available in


Click the New Schematic Model View All hosting applications where the
button in the Schematic Model Viewer Schematic Model Viewer is available.
toolbar.
Select an equipment item in the explorer, All applications where the schematic
right click and choose the Create explorer is used.
Schematic Model View command.
Select an equipment item in the Diagram Diagrams application only.
Drawing, right click and choose the Create
Schematic Model View command.

When using the New Schematic Model View command in the toolbar, a Select Equipment
dialogue will be shown where the equipment item can be selected.

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Schematic Model Viewer

11.3 Navigation

11.3.1 Zooming, Panning etc.


The viewer is using a MS Office Visio drawing control component to generate the view,
please see the related Microsoft documentation for a full description on how to navigate in a
MS Visio view. A few navigating functions especially worth mentioning are the following.

Command Result
Ctrl+Shift+Left mouse button click Zoom in
Ctrl+Shift+Right mouse button click Zoom out
Ctrl+Shift+Right mouse button drag Pan

11.3.2 Navigating Along the Pipeline Network


After the initial view has been created, it is possible to navigate around it in different ways.

Expand By selecting an item and using the Expand command (available in the
toolbar and in the right click menu), all connections to that item will be
traversed and expanded. This will generate a new view.
Collapse Items that have previously been expanded can also be collapsed,
restoring the previous state.
Centre Item By selecting a particular equipment item (except the one in the centre)
and using the Centre Item command, a new view will be generated with
item in the centre. This will in essence be the same as making a New
Schematic Model View command for that item.

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Schematic Model Viewer

When items are selected in the viewer, the CE will also change accordingly. This means that
if the schematic explorer is visible, the currently selected item in the drawing will also be
selected in the explorer. In case this is not desired, it can be turned off by changing the
Follow CE setting in the Settings dialogue.

11.4 Re-arranging the Layout


The automatically generated layout can be re-arranged by the user, simply by dragging the
icons around. The Settings dialogue also contains settings that affect the way the layout is
initially generated.

Note: Certain operations such as Expand, Centre Item etc., will re-generate the layout and
therefore manual adjustments done by the user will be lost.

11.5 Viewing Inline Items


By selecting the View Inline Items command, the viewer will change into a mode where all
inline fittings are shown. These will be placed along the lines between the branching points,
like knots on a piece of string. The branching points will also be illustrated by an icon
representing the kind of fitting it is, rather than the generic branching point icon used when
inline fittings are not shown.
In case the view will become too cluttered when viewing inline fittings, it can either be
manually re-arranged or the layout settings can be changed.

11.6 Viewing Attributes


By right clicking on an item and selecting the View Attributes command, an attributes pane
will be shown. This the standard MS Visio attributes pane which is labelled Custom
properties. This pane can be resized, moved and docked in various ways, please refer to
the MS Visio documentation for more information.

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Schematic Model Viewer

11.7 Settings

By selecting the Settings command in the toolbar, the Settings dialogue will be shown. It
contains the following settings and options:

Setting / Option Description


Follow CE When this checkbox is checked, selecting items in the view
will also change CE (Current Element) to the current item.
Show Inline Items This is the same as the Show Inline Items command on the
toolbar.
Show Instruments This only applicable when the Show Inline Items setting is
enabled, and determines whether instruments should be
shown or not.
Show available GTypes By clicking on this button, a separate panel is displayed,
where it is possible to select the GTypes to be shown in the
Show Inline Fittings mode.
Spacing between By dragging the sliders, the amount of space allocated
equipment items between each equipment item in the layout can be changed.
This can be done separately for X and Y directions.

By clicking the Apply button, the settings can be applied to the view without closing the
dialogue.

11.8 Icons
The icons used to represent the equipment items, generic branch points as well as inline
fittings is determined by a set of user configurable rules. These rules are stored in an XML
file, called ScheModViewConfig.XML which resides in the main installation directory.
Below can be seen an example of this file. By changing the file, it is possible to apply
different rules for the selection of icons. The icon files are by default stored in the

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Schematic Model Viewer

%PMLLIB%\icons\SchematicModelViewer\ directory. New icons can be added by


customers to this locations, and it is also possible to modify or replace the existing ones if so
desired.

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Appendices

A Appendices

A.1 Attribute Presentation Notation


Through the Attribute Presentation format notation, attribute information can be collected
from the DB element that corresponds to the shape as well as from hierarchically superior
elements and referenced elements. It can also be combined with literals in an arbitrary way.
The notation uses square brackets for attribute references that should be evaluated before
presentation. All characters outside the brackets are considered as literals and will be
presented as-is. Referenced attributes can be referred by a dot notation
(reference.attribute). References can be in several steps, in that case the reference chain
will be followed to resolve the expression and find the attribute value. An arbitrary number of
literals and attribute references can be combined to form advanced attribute presentation
and annotation strings.
The notation can also be a result of a pml1 expression. Refer to Software Customisation
Reference Manual, chapter PML 1 Expression. PML1 expressions should be enclosed with
curly braces {}. The usage of native square bracketed attribute references within PML1
expressions is supported. In such case the square bracketed attribute references are
resolved first, and then the PML1 expression is parsed.
The attribute presentation notation can be applied to the following:
Attribute Presentation Setup (In Diagrams Options and in Import Shape Wizard)
Shape Text attribute
Label annotation fields
Here follows a few examples using native syntax:

[scplin.bore] Will fetch the default bore attribute from the pipeline element
that owns the current hierarchically subordinate element, for
example a valve
[owner.owner.owner.bore] Will provide the same result as above for a valve. The owner
of a valve is the SCSEG element, the owner.owner is the
SCBRAN element, and the owner.owner.owner is the
SCPLIN element.
[name]-[spref.name] Will display the name of the current element, a literal (in this
case a "-"), and the name of the related catalogue element.

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Appendices

Following are some examples using PML1 expressions:

{str(abor)} Provides the arrival bore value.


{subst(name,2)} This uses the substring function to provide the part
of the name of the element starting at the 2nd
character.
ERED[\n]{str(para1)}*{str(para2)} Equivalent to
ERED[\n][spre.catr.para(1)]*[spre.catr.para(2)]

For more information about PML1 expression syntax please see.


To get a particular element from an attribute of array type, use a (num) notation. Example:
Owner.Diaref(1). The enumeration of elements is 1-based. The (0) string will give all
elements.
Using square brackets to reference an element in an array in PML1 expressions is not
supported, as it interferes with the native syntax. To reference an array element use the
attribute name followed directly by a number.
For example "ppbo[2]"is not supported - instead use "ppbo2"to refer to the 2nd value in the
ppbo attribute array.

A.2 Pseudo Attributes


The table below describes a few pseudo attributes that can be useful for attribute
presentation, annotation etc.

Attribute Element Description


HBOR SCBRAN Head bore for the branch
TBOR SCBRAN Tail bore for the branch
ABOR SCVALV, SCFITT, SCINST Arrival bore
LBOR SCVALV, SCFITT, SCINST Leave bore
PPBO(n) SCVALV, SCFITT, SCINST Bore of connection point n, for example,
PPBO1 returns the bore

A.3 Customisation

A.3.1 Overview
The Diagrams application provides significant built-in customisation capabilities through
XML menus, default settings, UDETs and UDAs, autonaming, attribute presentation notation
etc. For more extensive customisation it is also possible for customers to develop new
program functions and routines.
Diagrams is based on the AVEVA Design Platform, and thereby includes all of the
customisation and development possibilities provided by that platform. Examples of this are
the database.Net API (AVEVA.Pdms.Database) as well as other.Net APIs. CAF Add-ins can
be created and PML can be used to the same extent as in the Design (General) module.
In addition to this, the actual Microsoft Visio Drawing Control used by Diagrams is also
accessible, giving the user full access to the extensive toolbox that MS Visio provides. A
good example of how this works is the CoreConnectionsDiagramAddin, which is a sample

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Appendices

Addin shipped with the product to create core connection diagrams. The addin is delivered
with source code for the user to use as template when creating their own addins to support
their particular needs.

A.3.2 Using the Visio Drawing Control


The Visio Drawing Control can be accessed in different ways. By using reflection, it is
possible to invoke GetCurrentVisio method which will return an instance of Visio.Application
associated with currently active drawing.

Example
using System;
using Visio=Microsoft.Office.Interop.Visio;
using Aveva.Marine.Diagrams;

namespace UserAddin
{
/// <summary>
/// Summary description for AccessVisio.
/// </summary>
internal class AccessVisio
{
internal AccessVisio()
{
//
// TODO: Add constructor logic here
//
}
internal static bool IsDrawingActive()
{
System.Reflection.Assembly _assembly =
System.Reflection.Assembly.Load( "mardiag" );
System.Type _type = _assembly.GetType(
"Aveva.Marine.Diagrams.mardiagApp",
true,
false );
System.Reflection.MethodInfo _info = _type.GetMethod(
"GetCurrentVisio",
System.Reflection.BindingFlags.Static |
System.Reflection.BindingFlags.Public );
Visio.Application visApp = (Visio.Application)_info.Invoke
( null, null );
if(visApp == null)
return false;

return true;
}
internal static void AddDescription(string ElemType, string Description)
{
System.Reflection.Assembly _assembly =
System.Reflection.Assembly.Load( "mardiag" );
System.Type _type = _assembly.GetType(
"Aveva.Marine.Diagrams.mardiagApp",
true,
false );

System.Reflection.MethodInfo _info = _type.GetMethod(


"GetCurrentVisio",
System.Reflection.BindingFlags.Static |
System.Reflection.BindingFlags.Public );
Visio.Application visApp = (Visio.Application)_info.Invoke( null, null
);

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if(visApp == null)
return;
//Find all shapes of type ElemType and add Description
foreach(Visio.Shape shape in visApp.ActivePage.Shapes)
{
try
{
if(shape.get_CellsU("User.ElementType").get_ResultStr
(Visio.VisUnitCodes.visNoCast) == ElemType)
{
try
{
shape.get_CellsU("Prop.VMD_SCEQUI_DESC").FormulaU =
string.Format("\"{0}\"", Description);
}
catch(Exception){};
}
}
catch(Exception){};
}
}
}
}
Another approach is to use the
AVEVA.ApplicationFramework.Presentation.WindowManager and iterate through the
windows looking for an active Drawing Control.

Example
if( WindowManager.Instance.MainForm.ActiveMdiChild != null )
{
_activeCtrl = WindowManager.Instance.MainForm.ActiveMdiChild.ActiveCont
rol;
if(_activeCtrl != null && !(_activeCtrl is AxDrawingControl))
{
foreach(System.Windows.Forms.Control ctrl in
WindowManager.Instance.MainForm.ActiveMdiChild.ActiveControl.Contro
ls)
{
if(ctrl is AxDrawingControl)
{
_activeCtrl = ctrl;
break;
}
}
}
}
When the Visio.Application instance is obtained from the Drawing Control it is possible to
invoke any of the Visio API methods available to customize the drawing.

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